


Rainbow Six Siege: The Unsung Hero

by ObamaCare4real



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/M, Multi, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:30:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 42,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22139041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObamaCare4real/pseuds/ObamaCare4real
Summary: Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa, Marine Raider and hardened-warrior of World War III, agreed to join Rainbow after being confronted by the terror that threated to start the Four World War. He has faced death and was near death multiple times. He has many friends and he has made a lot more foes. That wasn't going to stop Roman. Only a certain Brazilian lady can stop, or steal his heart.
Relationships: Eliza "Ash" Cohen/Jordan "Thermite" Trace, Taina “Caveira” Pereira/Other(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the Operators or Deputy Director Six. I only own the OC.
> 
> This chapter is the new first chapter of this rewritten story. If you were fans of the original one, you'd like this one even more. I was disgusted by the way things have turned out in my story. The one thing I would like to point out is the rushed romance between Roman and Taina. I felt that there was no real buildup, and it was rushed quite immediately, only needing six or seven chapters after the third to make it happen. However, I will take my time & make sure they develop the right chemistry before they start seeing each other in a different light.

_ ** Name ** _ _ Roman Y. De La Rosa_

_ ** Codename: ** _ _ Matalino (Tagalog for intelligent, smart)._

_ ** Speed: ** _ _ 2_

_ ** Armor: ** _ _ 2_

_ ** Ethnicity: ** _ _ Filipino and Mexican._

_ ** Nationality: ** _ _ American_

_ ** Height: ** _ _ 6'3_

_ ** Weight: ** _ _ 235.7_

_ ** Place Of Birth: ** _ _ Newport Coast, California._

_ ** Date Of Birth: ** _ _ October 15, 1991._

_ ** Education: ** _

_\- High school diploma from Newport Harbor High School. Valedictorian, age 10._

_\- Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Irvine. Summa Cum Laude, age 14._

_\- The University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, three years (left in his fourth year)._

_ ** Affiliations: ** _

_\- United States Marine Corps (current, 0370 Special Operations Officer. Team Commander of Joker Team).  
\- Rainbow (current, K-9 and Scout Sniper)._

_ ** Training: ** _

_\- MCRD San Diego._

_\- School of Infantry, Infantry Training Battalion (ITB)._

_\- Advanced Infantry Training Battalion._

_\- Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC)._

_\- Marine Corps Scout Sniper School (including Mountain, Cold Weather, Urban, and High Angle)._

_\- Marine Corps Close Quarters Battle School._

_\- Marine Corps Methods of Entry._

_\- Marine Corps Helicopter and Rope Suspension Techniques Master Course (HRST)._

_\- Marine Corps Jungle Warfare Training Center Okinawa._

_\- Individual Training Course (ITC)._

_\- Tactics l MAGTF Integration Course (TMIC)._

_\- Marine Corps Officer Candidate School._

_\- USMC Combatant Diver Course._

_\- Army Mountain Warfare School._

_\- Army Ranger School_

_\- SERE program (All levels)._

_\- Army Airborne School (HALO and HAHO jump)._

_\- Army Air Assault School._

_\- Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (2nd-degree black belt)._

_\- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (De La Rosa Academy, 2nd-degree black belt)._

_\- Kali (De La Rosa Academy, Master 2)._

_ ** Relevant Experience: ** _

_\- Battle of Los Angeles (2011)._

_\- Battle of Pearl Harbor (2011)._

_\- Battle of Manila (2011)._

_\- Battle of IloIlo City (2011)._

_\- Battle of Okinawa (2011).  
_

_\- Battle of Tokyo (2011)._

_\- Battle of Seoul (2012)._

_\- Battle of Beijing (2012)._

_\- Operation Diamond Sword (2014)._

_\- Operation Skyfall (2014)._

_\- Operation Red Grass (2017)._

_\- Staples Center Hostage Crisis (2017)._

* * *

_ ** Special Ability/Equipment: ** _ _ Thor is a genetically bred German Shepherd. Both of his parents were genetically enhanced as part of Abstergo's "Specialis Canis" program. He was separated from his birth parents since he was a month old puppy. The dog was tested in the most inhumane ways and was always tased or beaten with a police baton if he would underperform or refuse to obey the scientists' orders. He would also be strangled whenever he successfully bit one of the scientists as well. Thor's only friend at the time was a Malaysian King Cobra named Osiris, who was also suffering the same consequences as him._

_Three months after Thor was born into Earth, the facility that he was located in was assaulted by Joker Team, a Marine Raider unit from the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. Being the optimistic puppy he was at the time, Thor hoped that the men dressed in the combat gear would take him and Osiris along. For a moment, Thor became very upset when each Marine passed by, ignoring both him and Osiris. He ended up thinking that he was going to end up trapped inside his cage and die from starvation. Before he was going to cry, the Marine that would end up becoming his best friend and companion, Roman, took him and had his sister Victoria Osiris out of their cages and brought them back to Camp Pendleton, where they would stay with him inside of his office._

_Thor and Osiris were delightful in their new environment. Roman never had verbally or physically abuse either of them and was thankful that they had someone willing to take care of them. Over the months that passed by, Thor grew at an exponential rate, reaching his full adult size when he reached 11 months of age. His friend Osiris was the same, reaching 17 feet in length at 11 months._

_One day when he and Roman were at the Anaheim Convention Center, his companion was jumped by five unknown individuals. Thinking that his best friend was in trouble, Thor got angry, and three out of the five assailants lost their arms. That was when he and Roman both realized his true potential._

_Initially, for apparent reasons, Thor was very hesitant in following Roman's commands when he tried to train him and would cower in fear whenever Roman would appear "angry." Roman then recruited a K9 handler into Joker Team to see if Thor would obey his commands. Thor wouldn't, and Roman had the K9 handler transferred to another Raider team. Thinking of several options, Roman gave up being a Scout Sniper in favor of being Joker Team's K9 handler instead. _ _After several months of training and receiving juicy Ribeye steaks as a treat after every session, Thor's trust for Roman grew to the point where he would only follow his commands and not everyone else's._

_Roman couldn't blame Thor for not wanting to oblige to anyone else. The abuse made him very hesitant in trusting people for some time. It made Roman cry when he got a hold of all the recordings of Thor being experimented on. The needles, the pills, the verbal and physical abuse Thor received broke Roman. He hugged and kissed the good boy's head, promising never to abandon him._

_The physical beatings Thor received as a puppy only further his durability in taking punishment. His physical strength, dexterity, and intelligence level made him the most feared living being on the field. Even Roman could not keep up with his loyal companion when both of them race at top speed._

_Just be glad that Thor is a good boy._

* * *

_ ** Bio: ** _ _ De La Rosa's father is of Filipino descent and is the richest man in the world, with a net worth over $530.50 billion. His mother was born in Culiacán, Mexico, but emigrated to the United States at the age of three and enlisted in the Navy at eighteen, attaining the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer after just fifteen years of active duty service. She worked as a Hospital Corpsman before her retirement. Both of Roman's parents have reached the highest success in their respective career fields, and he was expected to do the same._

_Since he was able to walk and talk, Roman was studying relentlessly. He began practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kali when he turned four years old at De La Rosa academy. It was a multi-generation owned martial arts studio/gymnasium home to some of the world's best martial artists. Practicing at a very young age with his mother allowed Roman to win every single BJJ tournament he competed in. His superior strength, athleticism, and intellect gave him an advantage against his opponents, especially the ones that were taller than him._

_Roman was born with a very high intelligence capacity that seemed to have no end. He managed to skip primary school and began high school at the age of six, graduating as Valedictorian. All eight Ivy League schools were relentless in their recruitment of Roman. He settled at the University of California Irvine and graduated as Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry. Roman took every single quiz and exam seriously and passed all of them without missing a single question. He then went on to UCI's School of Medicine._

_After attending medical school for three years and only needing one more to graduate, Roman decided that he wanted a real challenge, something that would put him to the test mentally and physically. With some convincing, he managed to have his parents let him drop out and enlist in the United States Marine Corps. However, nobody knew the main reason why he decided to drop out of the blue. Roman had everything in front of him. One more year of medical school, a couple of years of residency under his mother's supervision, and becoming a full-fledged doctor by the age of 21._

_Even his recruiter was baffled by his decision, but he was still accepted into the Marine Corps no less. He scored. Maybe one day, Roman will tell everyone the exact reason why he went into the Marine Corps instead of finishing medical school._

* * *

_**Psychological Report**_**:** S_pecialist Roman Y. De La Rosa and I get along quite well. The both of us share a fascination for video games, comics (he likes D.C. while I love Marvel, anime, sports, and music!) You should've seen the look on his face when I told him that I was a Slipknot fan, haha. I'm quite surprised that he's very polite and calm with me. I could tell by his attitude when Aurelia and I talked to him for the first time before meeting him in person, that he was very eager and motivated to join his new unit. When I asked him if he has or had a love interest or not, he immediately stiffened up and refused to answer. I was prying him for more information. Specialist Tsang made me aware before meeting De La Rosa that they used to date for two years before them joining Rainbow, even though it didn't end so well for both of them. They still are good friends._

_I firmly believe that De La Rosa is the most polite Rainbow operator that I have met so far. However, there's a couple of problems that Roman has, and that needs to be solved as soon as possible. There are just a handful, not a lot. But if they are not resolved, they could bring a lot of issues into the unit. Let's talk about the positive things first, followed by the negatives right after._

_One thing that I would like to point out is De La Rosa's physical health. I have seen athletic people, I have seen people who could push the pace, but Roman sets everything to the next level. He could run for miles without getting exhausted. Roman would finish the first six out of ten times when I have all of the operators do a daily five-mile run (I do include myself haha). Specialist De La Rosa came close several times from shattering several records that his colleagues have set before his recruitment. If he were to give a little more effort than he currently does, he could dethrone Specialist Kötz as the most physically active operator._

_Thor's a fascinating organic being, more so than Roman himself. His parents were both genetically enhanced as part of the "Specialis Canis" program revealed by Abstergo and were the only survivor from the litter of seven puppies. Thor outgrew both of his parents at just eleven months of age, according to Roman, with an official height of 34 inches, and he's almost as heavy as I am! I will admit that I was a little terrified of Thor when I met him and Roman for the first time because I thought that he was about to maul me to death, but Thor turned out to be the sweetest dog that I have met. I can firmly say this without any doubt that Thor is the most intelligent animal on the plant, and I'm also willing to debate anyone that disagrees. There is more to Thor that I would certainly love to explain, but I think Roman explained Thor's capabilities better than I. After all, Thor is Roman's best friend._

_His relationship with his colleagues is quite remarkable, especially with Specialist Jordan "Thermite" Trace, the closest operator to Roman. They have both served in the Marine Corps, both are Infantry Marines, both were Sergeants, and above all else, they love videogames. They have a knack of competing in various games such as For Honor, Watch Dogs 2, and a couple of other things. Of course, Jordan wins most of the time as Roman is barely getting into the gaming world. Both Marines also love their hand to hand combat skills. I want Roman to train me in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based on how easily he out-grappled Jordan._

_According to Trace and De La Rosa themselves (both were Sergeants), 99.9% of the butter bars (Second Lieutenants) fresh out of OCS are usually ill-informed of how to lead a platoon and would often let the Platoon Sergeant do most of the work. Roman was glad that he was a Sergeant prior to becoming a Captain. The information, skills, techniques, and patience he has learned as an NCO translated most elegantly. De La Rosa even told me that if I didn't believe him, that he would personally buy me a first-class round trip to Camp Pendleton and ask the Marines that were under his command about how great of an officer he was. I do believe him, although the first-class trip does sound nice lol._

_Operators are allowed to buy their gear to take with them on missions, and De La Rosa is no exception. Whenever I stop by the recreation room to hang out with whoever is present, I would always see him on his laptop looking at new gear, firearms, and anything he could bring with him on operations. He would even go as far as to offer to pay for everything his colleagues wanted. He didn't care, and that's what I like about him the most. He always put everyone before him. Their safety over his every single day, no exceptions. First man in, last one out._

_De La Rosa has admitted to me that his intelligence has been slightly dropping. He had told me that he hasn't been studying seriously, going over notes, and whatnot. I believe it. He always comes to my office so we could explore on whatever subject he wants to learn about. Whether it would be calculus, astronomy, biochemistry, or criminal justice. His grades through high school are probably the best I have seen, ever. De La Rosa never allowed his grades to slip past an A, an A! I'm usually impressed by my children's straight-A minuses. He maintained an A+ average throughout the four years. If he decides to study more frequently and go over his field notes, I will put him as the smartest Rainbow operator. Currently, only Pichon and Chandar are above him, barely._

_Now, let's get onto the negatives._

_You see, as an officer, many of the men and women under your command look up to you as an example. Many of De La Rosa's colleagues see him as motivation despite being younger than most of them, most notably Weiss, who seems to have a fondness for the young Marine. De La Rosa puts in a lot of effort into anything that he does, including, but not limited to, physical activity, studying, shooting weaponry at the firing range, practicing hand to hand combat, you name it, but does tend to show off a lot. The reason why? De La Rosa thinks too highly of himself and gets cocky when he outperforms his colleagues despite getting along quite well with most of them._

_I know I mentioned earlier that De La Rosa cares about the well-being of others before his? It is true, but that doesn't prevent him from leaving snarky remarks when he outperforms another operator. He and Specialist Timur "Glaz" Glazkov have a friendly rivalry with one another, each man having experience with long guns. Both men would try to outperform the other, with Glazkov holding a very slight edge over De La Rosa due to having more experience in the field of warfare. In spite of this, De La Rosa would, how do I put this? "talk shit" about how he's going to "take a fat dump" over Glazkov once he catches up in skill. Glazkov does not take his remarks to heart, and he just laughs it off._

_Though I do notice that De La Rosa does mean what he says, including all the rude remarks he would casually leave. I do allow ribbing since it has been proven that it lightens up the mood of the operators, but De La Rosa pushes his words a little bit too far. Doctor Kateb had been advised about his behavior and is already planning on several options on how to help his colleague's attitude. He doesn't have a problem with anyone at all. It's just he needs to be more careful with his choice of words._

_Actually, there's one person that he has a problem with, and that's Specialist Taina "Caveira" Pereira._

_I don't know what's the valid reason for De La Rosa's hatred towards Pereira, and vice versa, but I could piece together from what I know._

_De La Rosa sometimes likes to take things lightly, while Pereira is the exact opposite. De La Rosa is outgoing, carefree, admirable, and courageous while Pereira is an introvert, silent, stoic, and has a reluctance to trust others. I do not think there has been a conversation between the two that has not to lead to an argument. Maybe it's because De La Rosa is vibrant and doesn't understand the hardships that Pereira went through, continually having to spend 90% of her salary to her family in Brazil. I do believe that De La Rosa should see things from her view and understand that the entire universe doesn't revolve around him and that he needs to get along with her, whether he hates her or not. For Pereira, she should know that affluence is not necessarily a bad thing. I could slightly understand why Pereira hates rich people, as they tend to care about their businesses and not the consumers usually, but De La Rosa isn't that kind of person. Maybe I should have her assigned to be Roman's partner. Yeah, no. They might try to kill each other, and I wouldn't doubt it a second. Or maybe I should? I would have to get the two of them in my officer together, a meeting between the three of us. - _ _ **Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey, Director of Rainbow.** _

_ **(P.S.; I don't understand why Roman didn't try out for UCI's basketball team. He could've easily gotten onto the team, and maybe lead the team to victory!)** _

* * *

_ ** Notes: ** _

_ **Device: Thor (not a machine)** _

_ **Operator: Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa, United States Marine Corps.** _

_ **Evaluation Lead: Specialist Elena María "Mira" Álvarez, Director of Rainbow R&D. Oversight from Operator Roman Y. De La Rosa.** _

_I will admit that I didn't believe that Thor was smarter than all of us put together and that he was just an average K9 with a sexy handler! Oops! I need to remain professional here._

_To say that Thor is a special kind of dog is an understatement. With the information that Roman as given me, I can make comparisons to some of the machinery that I worked on over the years._

_First, Thor's intelligence level is quite remarkable. I would make the argument that he's the most intelligent land animal. It should be evident that Thor knows basic dog commands as all other dogs should. However, he could understand more complex commands. If you tell him to go around and wake up the other operators, he would bark at you once and sprint off to the living quarters and bark loudly. If you tell Thor to find a specific item, let's say one of our wallets, for example, he'd find the wallet that belongs to a particular person and give it to them. To keep it simple, if you could come up with any command for Thor, he would do it. However, Thor only listens to Roman's commands. Neither he nor anyone else here could explain why. More research from Roman and I would be needed._

_Going on to Thor's physical strength, speed, and flexibility. Thor is the most reliable dog by far than any other breed, extinct or not. Thor can carry five times his weight with little to no difficulties and can pull even much more than that. Our Cougar HE's, the ones we use when we deploy on operations by ground, weigh around 17 tons. Guess what? Thor can and will pull that vehicle as if there's no tomorrow, granted that it's a little heavy for him to draw._

_There are more things about Thor that I would love to talk about, but at the request of Harry, I will have to stop right here. I could say without any doubt that Roman is the best addition to Rainbow since me, of course! Haha! In all seriousness, having Roman and Thor on board as Rainbow operators bolstered our strength as an organization. The young Marine and his dog are best friends, completely inseparable from one another._

* * *

** _ Chapter 1: Insert Coin _ **

** _September 11, 2017_ **

** _En route to Camp Pendleton, San Diego County, California, USA._ **

** _06:35 hours_ **

_September 11, 2017, six years since the day of the Battle of Los Angeles. The battle recorded the most substantial single loss of civilian life in American history; over 150,000 citizens perished during the conflict. The battle was initiated by a coalition invasion force consisting of China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, and they were fiercely fought off by the Marines from the 1st Marine Division. _ _The battle lasted 47 hours, and it resulted in 4.114 Marines sacrificing their lives to protect the American citizens. The Marines bought enough time for reinforcements from the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, and a massive _ _air squadron from the Nellis Air Force Base to drive back the enemies to where they came from.  
_

_Before the battle, Russia, out of nowhere, launched two hydrogen bombs into the hearts of New York City and Washington D.C., completely obliterating every single living organism that was caught in the blast. Windows shattered, cars flipped, and the glass shattered. The United States responded immediately by launching two of its hydrogen bombs at St. Petersburg and Moscow. The hydrogen bomb launched by Russia was a decoy for the coalition forces to invade the United States of America._

_The Battle of Los Angeles gave Congress the perfect excuse to declare war on the volatile countries, passing through the Senate and the House without a single member voting against it. This, along with several NATO members and allies west of the Pacific Ocean, joined along with the United States effort, effectively starting World War 3. _ _Several months later, in 2012, the bipartisan bill, the Iron Stand Act of 2012, was passed._

_After World War 3, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was finally signed by every single member of the United Nations. It effectively prohibited any nation from the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use, and the threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as assistance and encouragement to the prohibited activities. All nations that owned nuclear weapons negotiations were made, and timelines were given as to when the nuclear programs will end and the nuclear weapons to be dismantled._

_However, the United States created a top-secret program with DLR Industries called the "ODIN (**O**rbital **D**efense **In**itiative) Project." An orbital kinetic bombardment system was developed to be the ultimate defense platform in the case of another U.S. mainland invasion. The project started with a $2.5 trillion budget and had a final increase to $5.1 trillion before completion._

_The ODIN system consisted of 24 orbiting weapons platforms with the ODIN Space Station being in control of the platforms. Six officers from the United States Air Force and six officers from the United States Marine Corps were the crewmembers of the station, tasked with keeping ODIN operational at all times. The average length of 12 crewmembers being on board was three months to prevent muscle atrophy, skeletal deterioration, and to maintain combat readiness should ODIN ever be needed._

_No nation on Earth dared question the United States about their development and deployment of ODIN as some of them even tried to make their own orbital kinetic bombardment system, most of them failing due to financial problems. All of NATO supported the United States and also offered to help fund ODIN to keep it operational in return that they (NATO) shall receive protection from ODIN. The United States agreed, and it led to the country becoming the world's first "Mega Superpower" country._

_The Armed Forces of the United States also saw their budget increase significantly when the Iron Stand Act of 2012 was passed. The budget was increased from $650 billion to $930 billion. The Marine Corps' budget increased the most while the Navy, Air Force, and Army received similar increases. The volunteer force saw an increase from 1.4 million members to 4.1 million. More men and women than ever before since World War 2 were volunteering to join the military after the Battle of Los Angeles. The Selective Service System was dissolved and deemed unnecessary by Congress._

_The city of Los Angeles had an extensive renovation that lasted five years since the start of the third World War. DLR Construction Engineering, a subsidiary of DLR Industries, led the effort in rebuilding their home city. The entire project cost DLR Industries $6.3 trillion, 1.2 more than the ODIN Project. The cities of Inglewood and Huntington Park merged into Los Angeles, doubling its size. Los Angeles also became the capital city of California after the governor, and state senators agreed to the transition. Also, the city became the most populous city at 5.1 million residents. However, that was only because New York City was wiped from the face of Earth._

* * *

_A limousine cruised down the highway en route to Camp Pendleton to meet with their potential new operator. A blond woman was the driver. She had Maori tattoos on both of her arms for some odd reason. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt rolled to her elbows, blue jeans, and aviator sunglasses. Valkyrie, they called her in Rainbow. Meghan Castellano was her real name._

"Castellano, are you sure De La Rosa knows you?"

"Affirmative ma'am. Joker Team has trained with DEVGRU a couple of times. That's how Craig and I met Roman."

_Aurelia Arnot, also known as Six, was the Director of Rainbow. Currently, she is the one that calls all the shots, negotiating new deals with the countries that are involved with the Rainbow program financially, and handles all of the politics whenever her organization comes into question by NATO. She genuinely liked her job very much and would stay if she was not offered to be Secretary of State. The new position would allow her to back in the United States and closer to her family. It took Six a very long time debating whether she should or not but agreed nonetheless. She appointed Harry to be her successor, pending NATO approval._

_Six went over the file she had on Roman Y. De La Rosa._

"Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa. United States Marine Corps. 0370 Special Operations Officer and K9 handler. Team Commander of Joker Team. Saw extensive combat in World War 3. Two time Navy Cross recipient. Written up for misconduct on five separate occasions. Once at MCRD San Diego, twice at Officer Candidate School, once an Army Ranger School, and once at School of Infantry. The last incident was De La Rosa verbally and physically abusing a Marine Drill Instructor after he caught the DI abusing a recruit. Safe to say that he cares about the recruits and hates people that abuse their power. I honestly like it. Anything else you want to mention, Harry?"

_Harishva "Harry" Pandey was Six's right-hand man, acting as her military culture and psychological advisor. He was also the first person Rainbow operators talk to when they have a problem that they couldn't deal with on their own. Harry was a very understanding man. Rainbow operatives have better chances of seeing a unicorn than hearing Harry yell in frustration. He was the first person everyone approached when they had a problem that couldn't be solved._

_They passed by the newly rebuilt Staples Center 2.0 after the original one was destroyed during the battle. There was a very long wall with names of the American civilians that died. Next to the memorial was another one dedicated to the 1st Marine Division. The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor was on full display and surrounding it were the ranks and names of the Marines. Their memorials were the headlines of several major news networks for days on end. The entire country before the conflict was torn between whether if war is necessary or not. This brought everyone together, and since then, the military memorials gained a significant increase in visitors, and the United States Armed Forces' popularity increased._

"Oh, there's more to him. He was offered to try out for MARSOC in May of 2012. Normally, it would take most Marines an average of three years, but Joker Team was the exception. Roman assumed command of Joker Team shortly after his graduation from Officer Candidate School. The original commanding officer was convicted of sexually assaulting several female Marines during the team's liberty. Due to the nature of the job, Roman was commissioned as a Captain rather than Second Lieutenant. He specializes in reconnaissance, direct action, and hand to hand combat. Roman also used to be a Scout Sniper, but has stopped being one after he got Thor."

"Thor? The K9 Captain De La Rosa is bringing with him?" Six asked, taking a sip from her coffee.

"Thor is more than just being Joker Team's K9 and unofficial mascot. He's Roman's best friend, fiercely loyal to him. Roman found him during an operation with Joker Team on Paradox Interstellar's main laboratory. He found Thor trapped inside a cage, crying to be released from his confinement. Thor was bred from two genetically enhanced German Shepherds. I was not able to acquire more information on Thor as his background was kept a secret, but I'm sure our new operator would be more than willing to share more information. But I know one thing, Thor is the most intelligent land animal by far."

"To talk about Roman's accomplishments. He has trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kali since the age of four, but he was more focused on the former. Roman's a second-degree black belt in BJJ, but I would assume his skill level is around a fourth-degree. If he doesn't mind, I intend to assigning him to be one of our martial arts instructors. Souza would be delighted to hear the addition. Although his protégé would not be fond of it." Six crossed her legs.

_Both of them continued to travel down the highway in silence. Harry was fascinated with Roman's history. What made Rainbow's recruiting advisor curious about Roman was his decision to join the United States Armed Forces, more or less the Marine Corps, instead of completing his last year of medical school. Roman was on track to be one of the youngest doctors in American History. There has to be a legitimate reason as to why his career choice took a u-turn in the opposite direction when he was on the right path. Harry looked around his files, checked Roman's background, and the "friends" that he talked to. They all gave the same explanation. Harry went so far as to speak with Roman's recruiter, the same answer. He refused to believe the answers._

_Not that serving the military is a wrong choice, as it is one of the most honorable things an American citizen can do, but Roman's initial career choice didn't seem to add up. One day, Harry swore, that he will find out the real reason behind Roman's enlistment with the Marine Corps._

* * *

_ **A moment later.** _

_ **41 Area, Camp Pendleton.** _

_Camp Pendleton received an extensive upgrade after the Battle of Los Angeles. Security has beefed up considerably. Marines pulling guard at the gates now had a LAV-25 to assist just in case someone tries to get past the Marines without proper security clearance and authorization. There was to be a Staff Sergeant or above to be present at all times to act as a supervisor. All Marines and other members of the Armed Forces were now required to provide their biometrics along with their military ID to be let inside the base. This was also needed across all military installations and embassies. The Iron Stand Act allowed this._

_After reaffirming that Six, Harry, and the driver were the correct people, the Marines allowed them past the gates and went on to where they need to go. They passed by a bunch of Marines doing various things. Some were doing PT on the grass, some were driving motorized vehicles, and some were practicing their martial arts techniques and skills._

_They arrived at the 1st Marine Raider Battalion barracks, home of the most diverse and notorious unit in the military, Joker Team. No other branch has a group or team that has been on more operations in the last five years than Joker Team. They have more accounted enemies killed in action, more hostages rescued, more captured high values targets, and more disciplinary actions. You heard it right, more disciplinary actions._

_You see, Joker Team may be the best at what they do, but the Marines that compromises them are a different story. The Marines in Joker Team are the ones that were in a lot of trouble in their previous units but not enough to warrant a court-martial or a dishonorable discharge. Even then, getting rid of one of Joker Team's members would be a huge blow, and it would require an extensive background check from Roman to find a new member. All of the Marines, aside from Roman, are troublemakers._

_The first case was when Joker Team attended Army Ranger School as a unit, the self-proclaimed "hardest combat course in the world." Sure, some of the exercises were difficult for the Marines to do, but Roman was there to lead them, far and beyond every solider that attended. On the very last day of Ranger School, where the trainees needed to extract the hostage from the drug compound, Roman thought it was an excellent idea to let the platoon of soldiers provide covering fire while Joker Team went behind and use the chaos as a distraction. They were very much successful in the extraction, not taking a single hit, but it made some of the soldiers livid, causing a scuffle._

_It led to a few soldiers receiving bruises and bloody noses, and Joker Team being sent back to Camp Pendleton without their Ranger tabs._

_The Army tried to reprimand Joker Team for their actions, but the President himself told them to stand down. Since then, the relationship between the Army and the Marine Corps was strained. Funny enough, Joker Team was still allowed to attend Airborne School and the Air Assault course._

_Six and Harry stepped out of the limousine along with Meghan_

_The three walked into the Raider Battalion's main building, where most of the offices, their conference rooms, and where the Marines love to hang out. The walls had picture frames hanging, life-size statues of their World War 2 predecessors that gave birth to the modern units. A shrine of the great Lieutenant General Chesty Puller, the deity that all Marines worship._

_The Marine Roman aspires to be._

_A Marine, standing around 5'10, walked up to the guests._

"You three must be Rainbow. I'm Staff Sergeant Stephen Miller, second-in-command and communications specialist of Joker Team." Stephen shook their hands.

"Lieutenant JG Meghan Castellano, intelligence officer for Rainbow." Meghan greeted.

_Harry and Six exchanged greetings with Stephen._

"Roman will be here any minute now. I can give you a tour around if you like?"

"Of course, Staff Sergeant, I'm very intrigued what kind of stuff Joker Team's really into." Six smiled.

_Stephen showed the guests around. They saw how Joker Team lived, which surprised Six a little. They all lived in one big bedroom with several mattresses spaced out appropriately to give the Marines of Joker Team their personal space. There was a bunk bed in the middle of the room, with the only foam being on the top bunk. A label was on top with the word "initiate."_

"I'm curious as to why that bunk bed in the middle is not occupied?" Six asked.

Stephen smiled lightly "It's for the new guys that join Joker Team. They're only required to sleep on that bunk bed for one night, and then Roman gives them their mattress. The last guy to sleep on that bunk bed was a CIA agent attached to us about three months ago. He didn't even last a week. Everyone fuckin' hated him."

"Is there any reason for that?" Harry inquired.

"I'm not at liberty to give that information out, haha. But let's say Roman organized a very _nice_ party. It involved a blanket, though."

_Meghan grinned at what Stephen said. She knew what Stephen meant by "very nice party" and "blanket."_

_Stephen then showed them the armory of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. Each platoon had its section within the armory: rifles, handguns, LMGs, HMGs, everything else in between. Of course, Joker Team had the most prominent space out of everyone. Thor even had his workbench._

"So this is where we gear up. We store all of our utility uniforms inside our lockers. Firearms and cartridges are kept separately for safety purposes."

_Six looked around for a moment. The armory room was slightly smaller than the one located in Hereford, but she has fewer operators under her command, which gives them more space to work with. Although, Six was more impressed with the fact that the entire armory was kept clean and everything was secured to where they need to be. She was not trying to downplay her operators by any means, but she was going to take a page out of the Marine Corps and add it to her own._

_It was common knowledge in the Marine Corps to not fuck with stuff that doesn't belong to you. If you did, you would receive a very lovely party courtesy of Joker Team's commander._

_Stephen escorted the guests to Roman's office so they could wait for him to come._

"Normally, we don't allow guests into his office without prior knowledge, but since he's expecting you three, I'll make an exception." Stephen waved goodbye.

_Six, Harry, and Meghan nodded goodbye as he left, leaving the door open. Meghan got up from her seat to look around. She was impressed, more or less surprised, by how many academic and BJJ tournament medals he has, most were 1st place save for two silver medals which were under a gold one. His Biochemistry degree was in a frame and placed next to his monitor to show it off. There were a couple of bonsai trees he kept on his shelves to give a more relaxed atmosphere._

_A rather large snake vivarium was right to the left of Roman for all of the guests to see. Meghan looked inside but couldn't find the snake. Harry got up and looked for the snake as well. They couldn't locate the snake at all. Roman didn't even mention that he owned a snake. It made Six a little uneasy._

_Then._

_A huge German Shepherd biting down on a Frisbee walked into Roman's office. He titled his head to the side in confusion as he looked at the guests in curiosity. The dog sniffed the guests to check if they're carrying any firearms or any contraband on them. He barked twice at Six and Meghan but didn't do anything else. Six smiled and patted the good boy's head, which made him wag his tail. Harry began writing down notes about the dog. He has never seen a German Shepherd that massive in his life. It was like experiencing a mid-life crisis but in the right way. Meghan was a little intimidated by the dog but sucked it up as she continued to look around._

"I see that you all have met Thor. I'm Captain De La Rosa, team commander of Joker Team and former medical student. And this is my King Cobra Osiris. Give me a moment, please." Roman walked in, holding his King Cobra.

_Harry immediately got back to his seat while Meghan stood there, studying the King Cobra as it went back into its home. Roman then pulled out a thawed python and gave it to Osiris to eat. He went out to wash his hands and came back in soon after._

_Harry studied Roman in silence. He wore his woodland MARPAT uniform. His sleeves were rolled up, showcasing his tattoos that he has gotten over the years of being in the Marine Corps. Hair slicked back in a comb-over. Some people thought Roman was the famous racing driver Marlon _ _Stöckinger. Even his father looked exactly like him. Clean shave, as he preferred. Roman hasn't looked like he aged in five years despite all the weight that was on his shoulders._

"Captain De La Rosa, it's a pleasure to meet you in person finally. I'm Six, Director of Rainbow." Six stood up to greet Roman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, and I'm sure we have a lot to discuss."

_Harry and Roman exchanged greetings. The former was very eager to ask the captain questions as both men loved to talk a lot, to no end sometimes. Osiris finished eating his tasty meal and watched his owner in curiosity, despite not being able to hear them speak._

_Roman turned around to Meghan, who had a big smile on her face. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before hugging. Neither Six nor Harry were surprised. Instead, they smiled. Some of the operators in Rainbow had trained with Joker Team when they were in their old units, so having Roman being familiar with them was a plus to the organization as a whole._

_Both Roman and Meghan exchanged kisses on the cheeks. It was common for both of them, the strength of their friendship._

"It's terrific to see you again, Meg. You made my day by being here." Roman patted her shoulder.

Meghan blushed lightly "It's good to see you too, sir. Poor Craig was so disappointed when he found out that I was accompanying Six and Harry. It would make him even more upset if he found out that we were here to recruit you into Rainbow."

"That idiot got into Rainbow? How is he by the way? I can't believe someone with a low IQ level got into the top CT unit in the world." Roman joked, Meghan chuckled.

"Beats me, haha. He's doing great. He actually took your training exercise recommendation literally. Craig's been doing 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 squats, and a 5 mile run every single day. He still does other exercises as well, but mainly the ones you told him."

_Roman chuckled at Meghan's words. She was one of his close friends besides the Marines of Joker Team. They talked almost every day, exchanged funny memes, selfies, and Roman would send videos of Thor incapacitating bad guys. Meghan was like an older sister to him and was glad that their relationship had no signs of progressing further beyond a sibling type relationship._

_Although, she had caught his eyes numerous times in the past wandering below her head level, down to places where she wouldn't even let other men do. Meghan would laugh and lightly punch Roman every time he was caught in the past._

_Meghan grinned when she caught Roman looking "down" again._

"Um, I believe we have something to discuss." Roman closed the door.

_Six, Harry, and Meghan moved their chairs closer to Roman's desk. He untied his boots and took off his socks, giving his feet fresh air to breathe as he sat in. He made sure the room smelled good in case one of the guests caught a whiff of what's behind the desk._

"I'm sure you already know what we are here for, but I would like to broaden the discussion and our terms of agreements. It is slightly laxer than what you are accustomed to, but it is similar. In Rainbow, you can operate your teams the way you want to, the same way how you manage Joker Team. It would have to be by the book, but there will be little to no repercussions if it is not by the book, depending on the situation. You will be given the option to bring all of your equipment and any firearms that you own into Rainbow. We can accommodate your needs as long it is within reason, and it's not out of our budget." Six said.

_Roman was thinking for a moment. Rainbow would be an upgrade for him in his opinion, but he would be losing the one thing that was necessary for showcasing his true potential, Joker Team. Funny enough, all of the Marines in Joker Team were recruited into Rainbow, but all of them declined except for Roman. His chemistry with his Marines was beyond light-years, stretching past the observable universe. He was sure in Rainbow that all of the operators were unique in their ways and that he and Thor could build synergy with them, but it would take days, weeks, or even months to bring it near the level of Roman's synergy with Joker Team. Plus, he would be going into an organization where he doesn't know at least 90% of them. Even the few operators he had met in the past would take some time to work correctly alongside out in the field. It could be done, though. Roman's smart, very smart. He could find ways to get along with anyone, even if it including spending a couple of millions of dollars. It would be tough for him, and it could be stressful._

"I'm interested, and I'm leaning towards agreeing. Leaving Joker Team would hurt me a bit, and it would require me to brainstorm different strategies, methods, and tactics on how I operate on the field as an individual. Would I be allowed to lead operations at times?"

"Of course, captain. It is required for all Rainbow operators to go on a minimum of two operations before they are given the evaluation whether they are capable of leading a team or not. Given the success of Joker Team and your exceptional leadership capabilities, I can make an exception if you only have to go on one operation before the evaluation. I am sure that you will be able to pass with little or no difficulty, considering that you are a very young captain with much potential. If you have any requests, you may say them." Six nodded her head.

"Hmm, let me say this first. I firmly believe that in life, an individual has to prove themselves if they want to be part of an elite organization. I have done it countless times before. I earned my rank of Lance Corporal at the time because I was the top recruit in my recruit battalion. I was the number one graduate at my Scout Sniper School graduation and its additional courses. Joker Team and I were given a tryout for the Marine Raiders at the early stages of our careers because we proved that we were worthy of becoming Marine Raiders. You want me to run three miles in under 18 minutes? No problem at all, I can run three miles in under 16 minutes easily. You want me to shoot targets at over 300 yards? I've done it before. Can I go on a 20-mile hike with a 70-pound rucksack? Joker Team does that twice a month. Our feet would hurt, though. Give me the challenge to prove that I belong in Rainbow, that's my main request."

_Harry smiled. He was genuinely intrigued by the young Marine and was barely containing his urge to cut Six off and ask his questions. He turned to Meghan to ask her something, but she was busy listening to Roman talk with a smile on her face. He nodded and wrote down Roman's request._

_"She is truly eager to hear what Roman has to say. I can tell you that they are very close. It must be a powerful bond since it hasn't progressed to the romantic side of things." Harry thought._

"Would that be all captain?" Six asked.

"Actually, no. I have a couple of other requests, but I am not sure if your other operators' requests are similar to mines. One, I would like to order fresh raw fish and have them delivered on base. I have a fast metabolism because I love PT, and I have to constantly eat to give the body fuel that it needs to push myself beyond my limits. Yes, I will make sushi out of the fish; that is what I have been mainly eating for the last three months. Second, I want my office to be as close to my bedroom as possible without intruding into the other bedrooms. It will be where I mostly do admin stuff, and I will probably be drafting ideas and tactics that would be presented. Third, I want to have the largest bedroom possible. If someone else is occupying it, tell them I will pay them $10 million to find a different room to sleep in, haha. If not, then I would like to any unoccupied space and turn it into a bedroom. Lastly, I want to take Osiris with me. I do not know anyone that would be willing to take care of him. Osiris is a big boy and he does like to mark his territory." Roman replied.

"We can adhere to your requests. I always give my operators the best living conditions possible to make them feel at home. If those requests you made could make you feel great, then why not?"

"Thank you, but I have one last request. I want to pay for all of those requests instead. I understand that you are helping me out a lot, but I would prefer it if I could finance them. I do not want anyone to speculate that you are showing me favoritism because those requests are a lot to me. I want to fit in, that is all."

_Six nodded, turning to Harry and Meghan to see if either of them had any questions._

_Of course, Meghan had questions for her younger brother._

"Sir, do you an individual that goes by the name of Tina Tsang?" Meghan inquired.

"No, I do not know this person. I may be brilliant, but even the most intellect individuals don't know everything in the universe." Roman lied.

_If there was anything Roman was terrible at, it was being a liar._

"Are you sure, sir? Did you know that she's also a part of Rainbow and I have asked her very similar questions? Presumably speaking, you are a horrible liar. You always speak the truth, and it is admirable, no doubt. But I can assure you that not telling the truth about your past relationships will not end well for you."

"Fine. Tina and I had dated long distance for exactly two years. We exchanged phone calls, texts, memes that I would find on Facebook and Twitter, and pictures."

"What of pictures?" Meghan grinned.

_Roman would be falling into her trap if he wasn't aware of what she was trying to do. Harry and Six were smart enough to step outside for a moment, giving the two friends privacy._

"You know, selfies of each other. I'd send pictures of my firearms, the medical books I've constantly been reading for when I go back to finish medical school so I can be the top student again. And yes, pictures of Thor."

"Are you sure you haven't sent pictures of more, for lack of a better term, lucrative things?" Meghan crossed her arms.

"I'm not at liberty to say that Lieutenant. Tina broke up with me exactly on our second anniversary. She said that the long-distance thing was not working at all and that she couldn't come up with an excuse a while ago. I can't blame her, to be honest. She was well within her rights to break up with me. In the two years that we had dated, we have visited each other 17 times. I was more at fault. I didn't put enough effort into the relationship as I'm too dedicated to the Marine Corps. I'll admit that I was not a good boyfriend and that she could find a guy that would treat her right. I wouldn't consider my relationship with Tina to be a legitimate one. I'm still new. I don't know how to act around a woman that I'm involved with romantically."

"Would you like to go on a date with me, captain?" Meghan walked over and began to massage Roman's shoulders.

"Lieutenant, I do appreciate the offer, and I would definitely accept under different circumstances, but you are here to get me into Rainbow, not to seduce me," Roman smirked.

_Meghan pretended to be shocked at Roman's answer but laughed anyway._

"I'll join Rainbow. I trust that Six could accommodate my requests as they would help me fit in better. My father's moving company will have everything packed up in a couple of hours and have it shipped to England. Victoria will help make sure Osiris has a safe trip." Roman said as he signed the papers of his transfer.

_All that was needed was the papers to be sent to the MARSOC commander to recognize the transfer, which in turn be forwarded to USSOCOM to reaffirm it. The assignment will mark a new chapter in Roman's life._

* * *

_After waiting for Roman to pack the rest of his belongings into duffel bags and boxes, Meghan drove the limousine back to LAX to where they will be taking their ride back to England._

"Are you ready, Marine?" Meghan asked, turning her head from the driver's seat.

"Of course, Lieutenant, I am always ready." He responded.

_Right before Meghan was about to make a left turn, they ran into four Marines and a Navy Sailor in their Service Dress Blues, with Stephen being the Marine directly blocking their path. The Marines and the Sailor drew their NCO swords, which confused Meghan, Six, and Harry. It was confusing, and embarrassing for Roman, because those individuals were the ones that compromised Joker Team._

_Roman facepalmed, trying to hide his flushed face. Thor looked out the window in curiosity, wondering why his other friends were dressed in their fancy uniforms instead of the sweaty camouflage that they usually wore._

_Stephen walked over to the right side, where Roman was sitting._

"Sir, we are going to miss you. However, we must play taps for you! Because losing you is a funeral!" Stephen jokingly yelled.

"Dude, you can't be fucking serious?" Roman asked.

"Yes I am sir, we must do this!"

_Another Navy Sailor came out of nowhere with a trumpet and began playing taps as the Marines raised their NCO swords. Roman groaned in frustration, telling Meghan to slowly drive as he gave his Marines one last middle finger. The Marines laughed off as they saluted their officer off, wishing him the best._

* * *

** _A couple of hours later_ **

_Roman was now dressed in just a plain black shirt, Lakers basketball shorts, and black slippers. It was not common to see an affluent man that could afford any items of clothing that he wants, to dress in everyday clothing that costs less than $50. Although he would buy expensive clothes and shoes for his Marines if they asked without hesitation because he cares for them and only wants the best for them. It's not in his tastes to own costly fabrics._

_Funny though, Roman owns the most expensive yacht in the world after his sister dared him that he doesn't have the cojones (balls) to buy the yacht. It has been in his siblings' possession since the purchase, though._

_He looked out the window to see the beautiful lights of Los Angeles. It looked much more modern compared to what it looked like six years ago before the invasion. The U.S. Bank Tower was replaced by a 2,250 ft. Skyscraper owned by his father's company. DLR industries played an essential role in the restoration of Los Angeles when 57% of the city became uninhabitable. Los Angeles International Airport, more commonly known as LAX, was now owned and operated by the United States Air Force after LAWA was shut down a few months after the battle._

_Staples Center was rebuilt. The original arena was destroyed during the battle, along with the surrounding buildings. There was a collective effort between the city council and DLR Industries to how the new stadium should be built. A new, 25,000 capacity arena was build in the same spot where the old one was. It was more modernized that it allowed the fans to interact better with the athletes. Currently, it is the new home to the Los Angeles Lakers, owned and operated by DLR Industries while the Buss family still owns the basketball organization, as it should be._

_Roman wondered what life could've been if he decided to stay and finish his last year. Sometimes, he blames himself for ruining the friendship he cherished the most. He loved her, he did. He didn't care if he was 14 and she 22. Roman was just a horny little kid that thought with his penis instead of thinking with his brain. It was his jealousy that got the best of him. It was the first time he considered losing his friendship a real loss, not counting the three losses he has in his BJJ tournament record._

_The plane was eerie quiet. Six was already fast asleep, soundproof headphones on. Meghan was the same._

"Hey, you haven't said anything since the jet took off. Don't tell me you're already having doubts." Harry joked.

_Roman chuckled lightly._

"No, Sir, I'm just thinking about someone and just wondering if I wasn't such an asshole to her. She did almost everything for me, and I just let my emotions take over my thought process. You usually except older kids to be mean. Not in my case."

_Harry wrote down what Roman said. He listed being slightly emotional at times on his application form, but it turns out that it may be more than slightly._

_What makes it even worse was that the last person Harry interviewed was Roman's ex-best friend. The meeting was a little weird since she and Roman no longer talked and with the added fact that Roman had a crush on her. She ended up breaking down when she asked if she could call Roman, and he responded by saying that "Roman had no desires to talk to you again."_

"How did you find Osiris?" Harry asked.

"My King Cobra? I found him in his enclosure right beside Thor's during my first mission with the Marine Raiders. I was initially going to take Thor, but it made me upset to see Osiris being the only creature left behind. I couldn't take it. So I decided to take Osiris with me. I hate it when animals are lonely without anyone to socialize with. Funny, Thor and Osiris are great buddies, never an implication from either one of them that wants to attack the other. I have considered taking Osiris on missions with Thor but I do not think that would work out to my imagination."

"I see. What kind of snakes do you feed Osiris?"

"Normally, I feed Osiris dead pythons that I order from a hunter in Florida. But since I will be living in England with Thor and Osiris, I might have to find someone that hunts and kills Grass Snakes. I'm not sure if the guy I buy pythons from ship overseas, more or less to a military installation. I would feed Osiris other animals, but he prefers snakes." Roman patted Thor's head.

"If you can get your supplier to ship them overseas, I can try to convince Six to bend the rules a little to allow the shipment of dead pythons, okay. " Harry suggested.

"I would appreciate that. Osiris' favorite food is ball pythons after all."

_Roman and Harry talked about various subjects ranging from sports, music, martial arts, and his time in the Marine Corps. For some reason, Roman felt at ease when he talked to Harry as if he's some no-bullshit therapist that doesn't lie to you, that kind of guy. The best part was that he and Harry were Slipknot fans! If there were one wish that he could make real, he would wish that there were more leaders (specifically officers in the U.S. Armed Forces) like Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey._

_The Marine closed, finally relaxed and stress-free. He hasn't gone to church recently, but he prayed to God that his new life would be better, not worse. He prayed that he could prove himself again that he belongs with the best and wants to be the best. He prayed that he and Thor get to enjoy the food in England. Most importantly, Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa of the United States Marine Corps, prayed that he can be happy and that wherever she is, whoever she is with, she can be satisfied because he couldn't provide that for her._

_Roman, for the first time since the Battle of Los Angeles, the worst day of his life, fell asleep with a smile on his face. And, he finally had a good dream, not a nightmare._

_Hopefully, his younger sister Elizabeth was okay._

* * *

_ **Over a month ago.** _

_ **July 20, 2017.** _

_ **School of Infantry, Camp Pendleton, California.** _

_ **09:30 hours.** _

"Remember when you get the back mount, sink your hooks in, but don't cross them if you don't want to allow your opponent to apply a foot lock to get out. " Roman said as he walked around, looking at the recruits.

_Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa, Special Operations Officer, team commander, and dog handler of Thor, Newport Harbor's class of 2002 valedictorian, only high school graduate to have all eight Ivy League schools create and offer a full-ride scholarship just for him, was in the middle of overseeing recruits practicing their hand to hand combat skills, being assisted by his team, colloquially known as "Joker Team" due to their unusual antics whenever out in the field with other Marines. Their battalion commander usually permitted Joker Team to assist the MCMAP instructors when there wasn't anything on their schedule, and today was one of those days. Thor, as usual, tagged along. He was in a sitting position while he's watching his handler teach the recruits. He enjoyed it, and it was his entertainment._

_Some of the moves and techniques Roman and his team were teaching the recruits were not meant to be shown at the beginner level, which agitated some of the instructors. But who would dare tell a bunch of Marine Raiders that they weren't supposed to be teaching such moves at an early stage? There was also a freight train in the form of Thor they should keep an eye out for. Roman loved to fight. It was in his blood._

_Roman came from a family of fighters. He and all of his siblings were 2nd-degree black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because of their mother, a red/black coral belt at De La Rosa Academy. Roman also holds a similar belt rank in Kali, the national sport of the Philippines. Both of his parents are world-renowned martial artists with several gold medals and first place trophies from competitions. Everyone praised De La Rosa as one of the top families in the world of martial arts. Along with being a Marine Raider with MCMAP training, Roman's a well-refined fighter, and it would take someone above Jon Jones' level to beat him. Then again, there aren't many people that are like Jon Jones._

_If he wasn't so caught up in himself, Roman could've been an MCMAP instructor and would've changed the ways the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program was taught._

"Remember to hook your left leg on his right leg if you're trying to get him off the mount." Roman said to a recruit.

"Yes, sir!" The recruit replied.

_Roman considered enlisting in the Marine Corps to be the best decision of his life and has stated multiple times that he would do it again with no hesitation. He says that the Corps is his life and that going to medical school to become a doctor just was not for him. His reason for joining the Marine Corps was this:_

_"I wanted to do something different, to be different from everyone else. Everyone considered me different than them because I am rich, that I am smarter than all of them put together. I wanted to prove to everyone that I am human just like them and that I could do the same as them. I found medical school too easy if I'm honest with myself. I wanted a reach challenge, a challenge that would push me to my absolute limits. Each branch of the military went balls deep in trying to get me to enlist. But you know what? After doing my research on each branch, their history, and the way how they teach the recruits, I decided that the Marine Corps would give me the best challenge. It just felt right at the beginning when I watched documentaries of the Marine Corps that I should be one of them. Everything is different behind the camera, but Navy RDC's seem too soft for me, they try too hard to be like my Drill Instructors, and they also get too friendly with the Navy recruits. The Army, oh, boy. Where do I start? The bonuses could have swayed anyone else, not me. I'm not in the Marine Corps for the money. The Army offered me a Green Beret contract, and if I tried hard enough the same way I'm doing right now, I probably would've gotten into The Unit. The Army just never interested me. Sure, they have gung-ho warriors that are willing to fight to the death. However, in the Marines, especially in the infantry units, you will always see Marines with fucking hard-ons, still itching for combat. The Marine Corps offered me everything that I've asked for. Disciplined people, excellent leadership, and just everyone are willing to do their job. The history of the Marines interested me. Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Chosin Reservoir, all of those battles that were popularized was because of the way the Marines fought. The Germans, specifically the Marines during the First World War, "Devil Dogs" for a reason."_

_While that may be particularly true, the main reason was utter horse shit, and there's only one other person that knows the truth for his enlistment besides Roman himself. She swore not to tell anyone, at least for now._

_Roman and Stephen continued to train the recruits for another hour. They taught various Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submissions such as the Kimura, Omoplata, and the Bow and Arrow choke._

_They continued to help train the recruits for another hour before they had to leave. Roman drove his team back to their barracks._

* * *

** _Several hours later_ **

_Joker Team arrived after going off base to eat lunch. They all went to their rec room to relax while Roman went to his office to handle some paperwork._

"Huh, I never thought I'd do some paperwork. Can't complain." Roman said to himself.

_He walked into his office and locked the door._

_Roman's office was neat and tidy. It was decorated with a couple of bonsai trees placed around evenly. He had his medals hanging on the walls along with a couple of photos from his early years in the Marine Corps. His Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belts were hanging nicely on a rack. To put it simply, Roman had everything that he earned that was important to him on display._

_He walked over to the desk and sat down on his chair. Being an officer was a lot more complicated than Roman honestly expected. More paperwork, more politics, more bullshit, and more politics, and more bullshit. He sometimes expresses how he hasn't decided to leave MARSOC due to the ridiculous amount of responsibilities that were given to him. Complaining wasn't in his dictionary as Roman was already used to it all. After all, Roman is a team player and was always looking out for the best interests of Joker Team. To be the best, you got to be with the best._

_There was a photo on his frame that took his attention away from the documents in front of him. Roman picked up the frame and examined it. The picture was of him and an unnamed female that seemed to be a couple of years older than him. They were both in their scrubs, posing with a fake human endoskeleton. Roman remembered how out of place he was in college and medical school due to being much younger than all of the other students, but the woman in the photo with him helped him get through everything — building a bridge between two worlds._

_"Lucíana" Roman thought._

_So that was her name?_

_The two of them were best friends despite the age gap between both of them, Inseparable even. Some people would even joke about Lucíana wanting to date Roman despite him being a lot younger because she was always spotted hanging out with him almost all the time. Both of them had been through a lot. UCI, medical school, the school events they participated in, they were always there together. Roman and Lucíana were the #1 and #2 students, respectively. Everyone thought they were going to accomplish everything together._

_Those people were initially right until Roman decided to drop out of the blue to join the world's most lethal fighting force._

_The Battle of Los Angeles was the last time the duo met. Roman thought it was the end._

_Roman missed her, he did. Maybe if things didn't turn out the way they did and he reached the legal age, then perhaps they could've been something more than just best friends. It was his emotions that started everything._

_Jealousy._

_The photo frame was tossed across the room, the glass breaking into small fragments._

_Osiris, Roman's King Cobra, slithered up to Roman and curled around his shoulders to comfort his owner. His King Cobra was indeed one of a kind. While Osiris may not be smart as his friend Thor, he is intelligent enough to know that neither Thor or Roman are hostiles and should not be bitten no matter what. Due to being bred from two genetically enhanced King Cobras (part of Paradox Interstellar's genetic testing program), his venom has mutated, becoming more potent, and dangerous._

_A knock was on the door. Roman got up to open it, revealing Stephen Miller, his second in command._

"Sir, you need to see this right now!" Stephen said, almost in a panic.

_Roman got up and followed Stephen towards the common room. When they got inside, Joker Team and other Marines from the 1st Marine Raider Battalion were gathered around the television. Some Marines were in shock, a couple weren't looking, but what everyone was feeling, they were angry. The last time Roman saw Marines acting the way they were was almost six years ago._

_The broadcast showed dead bodies, crying children, mutilated limbs, and a lot of blood. Screams were coming from the attendees as they rush out of the arena to escape the gunfire. Some were successful, but many more met their fate. An explosion was heard in the background; the shockwaves shattering all windows within the radius. Fragments impaled anyone caught._

_Fox News reporter: gunmen wearing white masks were seen storming into Staples Center, firing at anyone and everyone that they see. They have used explosives to tear down several walls and stores located inside the arena. LAPD officers and LASD deputies have responded to the scene while they were being shot at. Over two dozen LEOs are dead with more wounded. I honestly do not believe whats going on, ugh. This feels like the start of the Battle of Los Angeles almost six years ago. However, these men, or women, weren't wearing any uniform belonging to any foreign military, nor were they picking their targets. Anyone that moved were just killed on the spot without any remorse coming from the gunmen._

_The reporter and cameraman knelt to avoid the gunfire coming from the gunmen_

_I have just received intel that the LAPD, LASD, and FBI SWAT teams have been deployed to contain and stop the situation from getting out of hand. It is just horrific, and this has to be the biggest mass killing event in the past five years. I have never seen something more terrifying than old folks having their arms or legs blown off, parents holding their dead children, and LEOs not even having the chance to fire back._

_The reporter threw her microphone to the ground and began to cry. It was too much for her to handle._

_The cameraman pointed to the SWAT officers arriving on the scene. The majority of them began to set up the perimeter as firetrucks and ambulances started to roll in to help transport injured civilians to the hospitals. The Magic Johnson statue collapsed. There was so much blood that it could fill up. Several shooters appeared on the top of Staples Center and lynched ten LAPD officers by the edge of the arena for the world to see. Their eyes gouged, and genitals mutilated. Armored trucks were blocking the civilians to keep them safe from the gunfire that erupted again._

_Roman looked at the screen in shock and anger. He was thinking that it was happening all over again. He nearly gave his life defending the city, and seeing Staples Center being the target of a terrorist attack triggered his bad memories, like moving pictures in his head for years and years they've played. The atmosphere in the room was eerie quiet, not a single Marine daring to talk. Emotions were surprisingly kept in check._

_Roman's battalion commander walked in._

"Joker Team, I need y'all in the conference room ASAP!" The BC yelled.

_The Marines of Joker Team followed their battalion commander towards the conference room. There were six Marines and two Navy Sailors that compromised Joker Team:_

_\- Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa, Team Commander, K9 Handler._

_\- Staff Sergeant Stephen H. Miller, Team Sergeant, Communications Specialist._

_\- Sergeant Joseph N. Waller, Machine Gunner, JTAC Specialist._

_\- Sergeant Anthony N. Aubert, Machine Gunner, Geographic Intelligence Specialist._

_\- Sergeant Rudolph G. Steiner, Rifleman, CBRN Specialist._

_\- Sergeant Curtis I. Lee, Rifleman, Scout Sniper._

_\- Petty Officer 2nd Class Ahmed U. Khan, Rifleman, Senior EOD technician._

_\- Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve T. Kim, Rifleman, Hospital Corpsman._

_The eight Marines gathered around the hologram table. The table displayed the current layout of Staples Center, the surrounding areas, the perimeter, the lists of all civilians that were taken alive as hostages. It showed everything that Roman needed to know on how to approach the situation. Over 500 civilians were confirmed dead and with many more in critical condition. The table then showed all possible entry points for Joker Team, the difficulty of the operation, and the descriptions of what the terrorists are armed with._

"Due to the nature of the mission, the President of the United States has requested Joker Team to take care and handle the situation at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. FBI Hostage Rescue Team will be inserting through the entrance on 11th street, and ATF Special Response Team will be entering through the Plaza front. The Attorney General and the President have transferred authority of the mission towards me. Your team will be the lead during the operation. Joker Team will be inserting through the roof of, and your main objective will be to neutralize all hostiles to allow HRT and SRT to extract all civilians hiding inside. I want this by the book, gentlemen. We're operating with everyone's eyes on us. I know how unorthodox and controversial your methods are, so please try to keep it at a bare minimum. I don't want the Commander In Chief and the USSOCOM commander bombarding me with phone calls. Again, nothing out of the ordinary, you all are dismissed."

_Roman didn't even respond to his battalion commander as his Marines walked out. He stared blankly at the death toll that was slowly rising, and the critically injured climbing as well. It angered him from within. He couldn't wait to deploy, to get his hands on those dirty fucking terrorists. He was going to show them the wrath of The Captain, and Joker Team will bring Armageddon._

* * *

_ **An hour and several minutes later.** _

_The sky was now black and gray, raining hard. It was very unusual for California to receive rain in September. A thunderstorm roared through the sound barrier. There were some close calls of the Osprey being struck by lightning, but none enough to scare Joker Team._

_Roman looked out the open rear door. He ordered his Marines to check their gear and firearms as they approached the landing zone. There were dozens of body bags containing the bodies of the people who were killed in the initial attack. He looked over to the Hostage Rescue Team and found them preparing to breach the front entrance. Joker Team's commander had his team activate their night vision goggles._

_The only unfortunate part about this mission was that they had to find their ride back home because the storm will be too dangerous for the Osprey to fly in by the time Joker Team was done. A tent was set up for the Marines, courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Department._

"Thank you for the ride, sir! I own you one!" Roman said.

"The only thing you own me son is a dead fucking terrorist! Go get some!" The senior pilot yelled in motivation.

_Roman nodded in response as the Osprey inched closer to Staples Center._

"Joker One Actual, this is Viper Seven Actual, we are ready to kill the lights, waiting on your call."

"Wait for my signal Viper Seven Actual, Joker Team's landing on the roof."

_The Osprey hovered above the roof as Joker Team jumped out one by one. The rain began to intensify, but it didn't mean the mission should be stopped. The lights illuminating from the surrounding buildings allowed Roman to see how many people were looking. He wasn't surprised when he noticed dozens of civilians, whether if they were on the streets or inside safe in a building, they were looking at Staples Center, they were staring at all the men geared up in tactical gear hoping that everyone trapped inside could come out safe. Roman thought the civilians on the street were smart enough to know that the terrorists were armed with explosives with a massive blast radius. He felt that they should go home or go to the hospital if they have an injury or more._

"Go ahead, Viper Seven Actual, kill the lights." Roman said.

_In less than three seconds, all electricity that was giving life to Staples Center was turned off. It was pitch black inside the building. Screams from the civilians trapped inside were heard, thinking that they were about to be executed in the darkness. The crowd began to talk loudly as the "tactical men" were going inside to face the danger._

_Anthony opened the hatch of the arena. Thor got in first, followed by his handler and the Marines._

_They were inside the attic, as the staff members called it. Various objects ranging from concession stands, available vending machines, Lakers memorabilia, etc., were stored. The shortest Marine, Waller, took point. He was the shortest by far at 5'6, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't fit for the job. Joker Team walked over to the open elevator doors. Roman picked up Thor and hooked him on his vest._

"Alright, Miller and I will be rappelling down first."

_Roman and Miller rappelled down slowly. If the lights were still on, the civilians would have an excellent visual of two Marine Raiders and a large German Shepherd descending._

_The elevator doors a level below were also open. Two terrorists wearing white masks were talking to one another. The captain quietly unhooked Thor, which was a feat itself because it required a lot of strength to carry the 140 lbs dog without making a lot of noise. The terrorist on the right turned around to see Thor being tossed at him. He tried to respond, but his skull was crushed instantly. The other terrorist tried stabbing Thor, but the knife bent when it connected with the vest. It was a fatal mistake. Thor bit the knife hand and ripped it off, causing the man to scream in pain, was silenced when Miller shot him._

"We're good here, come down."

_The rest of Joker Team rappelled down to regroup with the two Marines. There was a line of concession stands, Lakers items, items you would typically see. Blood painted the floor, ceiling, and walls. Dead bodies littered. Some were even set on fire. Missing limbs were everywhere due to the explosions set off earlier._

"Alright, Waller and Lee, the both of you will stay here and watch the elevator doors. We will be using the lines to rappel down to the first floor once we clear this one. Miller, you will take Joker Team and clear the left side and take any survivors you see back here so Waller can rappel them down to safety. Thor and I will clear the right side and search for any explosives and survivors."

_Stephen nodded and took temporary command of Joker Team, going the opposite direction to clear the floor more efficiently. This wasn't the first time Roman and Thor did something by themselves, nor it would be the last time. Roman was trained in the art of combat the Marine Corps way, making him the most efficient infiltrator he could be. He used to do several missions by himself and his spotter during his Scout Sniper days in Force Recon. But since he's given a much larger responsibility, that wasn't possible anymore. Thor, however, is what he needed._

_There was a little girl that looked no older than nine years old Mexican girl hiding under a table. She wasn't crying or anything. The girl was curled up with her eyes covered, trying not to make any noise. She was alive, though, evident by the breaths she was taking. Roman walked up to the little girl and comforted her. She was going to scream, but Roman covered her mouth instantly. Thor sat and looked the other way, just in case someone tried to sneak up on his best friend._

"I'm friendly. I won't shoot you." Roman said.

"Okay, my name is Hera." The girl greeted quietly.

"Hey Hera, my name is Captain Roman De La Rosa, United States Marine. I'm here to help you. Do you know where your parents are?" He asked.

_Hera pointed behind Roman. He turned around and saw Hera's parents dead. Her father was on top of her with multiple gunshot wounds. Her mother's skull was busted open with a knife that was still lodged in. It was apparent Hera's father was trying to protect her mother, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. She was a strong girl for her age, which Roman liked a lot._

"You are brave, do you know that?" Roman smiled as he began checking Hera for any visible injuries.

"No, you are!" Hera said.

_After clearing Hera, he looked around to survey the hall for any more survivors. Thor was then alerted to more terrorists walking towards his direction. Roman was informed immediately by his companion. He told Monica to stay quiet and gave her his dog tags._

"Stay quiet, alright?"

"Okay, sir."

_Roman smiled. He was impressed by the little girl, definitely raised right by her parents. Unfortunate that she wouldn't grow up with either of them. He hoped that she had a family that lived in the United States that would be willing to take of her. She hid behind the table again._

_Thor hid in the bathroom. Roman taped one of his frag grenades on the wall. He took a piece of yarn from his pouch and tied it to the pin. Going back to the spot where he found Hera, he waited for the terrorists to walk by. Roman peeked and saw four terrorists armed with AK-47's and a European Shepherd._

_One of the terrorists walked too far ahead from his group and pulled the yarn with him. The pin from the grenade was pulled. The grenade then exploded, killing the first terrorist right away. The other three became alert, rifles raised and pointing in the direction where the blast was. The European Shepherd was barking furiously, begging to be let off the leash. The other two terrorists walked cautiously, kicking the bodies to make sure that they were dead. A man groaned but was killed instantly by an AK round._

_Roman placed his KaBar down and unsheathed his knife and drew his pistol. The first terrorist approached. Roman sliced the terrorists' thigh and shot him once in the skull, dropping him to the ground instantly. The second aimed his rifle at Roman, but he responded first by throwing his knife directly at his eye and receiving three rounds in the crotch, killing him also. Roman then shot three rounds at the other terrorist holding his dog. The dog quickly approached Roman, narrowly dodging the last bullet fired from his pistol. Roman tried kicking the dog, but it promptly pounced on him. He held the dog by its snout, teeth barely inches from his face._

_The captain punched the dog once, but the punch barely did anything as the dog retaliated by biting Roman's elbow. He grunted in pain from the pressure but was lucky that he wore protective elbow pads._

_Thor came rushing from the bathroom and tackled the European Shepherd off of Roman. The good boy barked violently, his teeth painted with the blood from the evil he killed earlier. The European Shepherd recovered but struggled a little as the impact earlier was hard. Thor continued to bark as the other dog barked back._

_German Shepherd vs. European Shepherd, a fight to the death._

_Funny, it wasn't going to end well for the latter._

_The European Shepherd charged first, jaws wide in an attempt to bite and latch onto his opponent. Thor stepped back and used his left front paw to smack the other dog hard. It stumbled back but tried taking another bite at Thor._

_That was the unfortunate end._

_Thor, being the more massive and physically stronger dog, bit the dog's snout entirely, closing its mouth. The European Shepherd cried in pain, trying to wiggle its way out of the firm bite of Thor. Despite its attempt, Thor crushed his opponent's snout, rendering the dog immobile as it began to bleed out. It tried to get up one more time, but Thor bit the dog's head and swung his head left and right mercilessly as if it was his dog toy. Thor then released the now deceased dog and ripped its head off and barked in victory._

_Roman stared at his best friend in awe. He never saw Thor that violent before. Not even when he was pretending to get beat _ _up before. Maybe it was because Thor was very protective of Roman and was willing to fight to the death. Evident by mauling the European Shepherd to its fate._ _ Thor then walked to Roman, looking at his body for any injuries._

"Wow, your dog is strong." Hera whispered.

_Roman almost forgot about the little girl. He smirked as he pulled Thor behind the table. Taking a canteen attached to Thor's harness, Roman used the water to rinse the blood away from his teeth. Thor ate and drank worse things before than blood, but Roman didn't want to take any chances. He then offered the rest of the clean water to Hera to drink, which she accepted graciously._

"Hey Hera, I need you to go that way and make a left when you get to to the elevator sign. There's are two Marines named Waller and Lee. They will rappel down and escort you to safety."

_Hera thanked Roman for saving her life, giving her the biggest hug she could give. He hugged her back, shedding a tear. Thor patted the girl's hair as she ran towards Waller and Lee. Roman watched as the girl turned left. He turned to Thor._

"It's unfortunate that her parents won't be around to see her grow up. Hera is a strong girl who will mature into a woman. She will be successful. I can bet on that. Her strength and courage motivated me."

_Thor barked back in agreement, completely understanding what his handler said. Despite not being able to talk back like a human would, Thor understood every single word that came out of Roman's mouth. He also understands the other several languages he speaks._

"Sir, a girl named Hera approached us. I'm rappelling down to hand her off to HRT." Waller called out.

"Roger that Waller, go ahead and climb back up if you can, of course, with your short frame."

"You are lucky that you are not gay and a lot of women like you, sir. If you were gay, I would try to fuck you in the ass."

_Roman just laughed in response. Yes, Waller was and IS gay. But that doesn't matter when he's one of the best Marines around. Anyone who dared to harass Waller was met with brute force from the captain._

_The Marine and the dog continued their way down the hall. He now ran into the executive offices. There was a chance that one of the rooms were rigged with explosives and if Roman opened the wrong one, it would mean the death of him and Thor. Thinking of a solution, Roman pulled out a silencer from his trouser pouch. He attached it to his ACR._

"Miller, can you send Khan to the executive hallway?"

"Copy that sir, I'll send him now."

_It took less than a minute for Khan to arrive. Petty Officer 2nd Class Khan was the EOD technician assigned to Joker Team for the duration of his current contract. What made him famous was that he's a Muslim serving in the Navy, funnier when others realize that he's one of the best EOD technicians, the complete opposite of the apparent stereotype of his religion._

"Yes, sir?" Khan asked.

"We're clearing all eight rooms one by one. I need you to defuse any bombs that we find."

"Of course, sir, that's my job. I'm also a Muslim, so if I end up getting blown up as well, I'm doing my job!"

_Roman sighed as he tried not to laugh. He truly enjoyed the fucked up jokes Joker Team told him. It was one of the things that could break Roman and make him laugh._

_They got to business soon after. Khan and Thor stacked up behind Roman as he shot the first doorknob. They cleared the room, no bomb, and no hostages. The three of them walked out slowly in case if motion sensors triggered some of the bombs. But then, the bombs would have detonated by now if motion detectors triggered them. Still, neither of them wanted to take that chance._

_Roman, Khan, and Thor then cleared the next six rooms. A few survivors were found, some with light injuries. Roman had Joker Team rotate back and go to his location. The survivors were escorted back to Waller and Lee._

_Joker Team, minus Waller and Lee, stacked up by the last door. Miller opened the door, in came the team. A man wearing a white mask with a bomb vest strapped to him sat on the chair, surrounded by Joker Team. He held the detonator by his hand, thumb close to the button._

"Huh, Captain De La Rosa, I'm not surprised that you are here! After all, your family does love to fucking steal the attention!"

"Enough about my family, we're not here to talk about them! Identify yourself!" Roman commanded.

_The terrorist got up, detonator still in hand. Joker Team still kept their aim locked on the terrorist's head, but none dared to shoot because it could result in the bomb being triggered, which would kill the rest of the occupants._

"You want me to identify myself, Captain? Do you really want me to? What about my fellow brothers in Afghanistan that never got the chance to identify themselves as friendlies as they were gunned down by men that wear the same Marine uniform that you are wearing! Why should I tell you who I am when Soldiers and Marines are killing innocent Afghans and Iraqis! You fucking infidels come into my country to take our fucking oil and to protect the assets that belong to those fucking billionaires like your parents! Fuck you, Captain! Fuck you and your stupid fucking family! I am fucking glad that your whore Elizabeth got fucking raped! Because if I had my hands on her, I would rape and kill her myself! Your fucking unit! This Joker Team of yours! All eight of you are abominations to this society. Fuck you for bringing more harm than good to this world. Fuck you!"

_The terrorist's words angered Roman, but he managed to keep his cool. Nobody dared to talk about his family, more or less insult them. So for the terrorist to talk about his family without facing any repercussions, it was a blessing for him. As much as he wanted to get his hands on the terrorist and torture him while keeping him alive, it wasn't an option as long as the bomb vest was still attached to him. He needed to use his unparalleled intelligence to think of something. The money wouldn't work at all. The terrorist wouldn't take Roman's money. Roman thought of talking instead._

"Hey man, all of us make mistakes. I made mistakes before; my Marines made mistakes. But we did not commit those war crimes, none of us have. Why do you blame us for their actions? I agree that the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq were mistakes and that the United States shouldn't have been there. And why do you accuse us of bringing mishap into this world? We have to do our jobs by saving American citizens from such incidents as this. We have never deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. We are not even trained to be deployed in that kind of environment. And why would you insult my sister? Of course, she did get raped, and yes, I gave the men what they deserved? But why would you stoop down to their level and announce to me that you want to rape my sister as well?"

_The terrorist stood still for a moment, thinking of what to say._

"You know what? I agree with you. Of course, you and your pathetic fucking dogshit Marines made mistakes! You all should be hanged from the fucking necks and be burned by the White Masks!"

_"White Masks, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Roman thought._

"You and your men wear the same fucking uniform that those devils wore in my homeland, the ones that killed civilians. And you know what? Those civilians that were killed during the Battle of Los Angeles? All 150,000 or whatever fucking number deserved to die! They deserved to die after what happened to my people! The 4,114 Marines that also died? Good!"

_The terrorist pressed the button as the Marines hid behind the furniture for cover. Roman peeked, looking at the terrorist who was furiously trying to get the bomb to explode. _

_Being a Marine Officer, it was Roman's duty to ensure that his Marines safety was a top priority, even if that means sacrificing his life to keep them safe._

_He charged at the terrorist, and there was a five-inch height difference, with Roman being the taller individual. He grabbed the terrorist by the head and slammed his head on the table several times. He pinned him down as his Marines approached to remove the vest allow Khan to defuse it. As soon as the vest came off, he threw himself and the terrorist out the window and into the fountain, which suppressed the impact of the fall._

_Both men were finding their bearings to recover. Roman was the first to get up, although it was very leisure. He looked around the police lights were flashing not that far away as a SWAT team from the FBI began to approach him and the terrorist. He looked at the individual and picked him up._

"You know what? You'll never get the chance to fuck my sister!"

_Roman dropped the terrorist and challenged him to a boxing fight. The terrorist obliged as he adjusted his white masks. He charged first at the Marine, throwing haymakers that were dodged easily. Being half Filipino and Mexican, where boxing was extremely popular and was treated as a religion, Roman was encouraged by both his parents to also take up boxing on top of his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kali training._

_The rain intensified again as both men circled each other again._

_He approached the terrorist, Mike Tyson style, and delivered a devastating right hook to his opponent's ribcage. It was broken due to the terrorist's reaction to the blow. It was excruciating. The FBI's SWAT team approached Roman and the terrorist, but none of them wanted to interfere in the ass-beating that the evil will receive. Joker Team also arrived to watch._

_Thor didn't interfere at all. He knew that his best friend had everything under control._

_The terrorist threw three jabs and a left hook that managed to connect with Roman's jaw, but it did little to nothing as Roman countered tremendously. Roman delivered a jab, another jab, a right hook, a left jab, a right hook, and a nasty left uppercut. More power, more speed, more precision. The masked man stumbled back in pain. His eyes were swelling up, his nose and cuts on his face were dripping blood. He looked at Roman, who was furious and wanted to beat the living crap out of the terrorist. To say the terrorist was scared of Roman was a colossal understatement._

_The terrorist was frightened by the Marine Officer. He was a renowned fighter in his home country, and to be wholly dominated without landing a successful blow was damaging to his ego. The anger in the terrorist flared inside of him. He charged at Roman but was immediately k_ _nocked back with a sick front kick from Roman that inevitably broke the terrorist's jaw._

"It was a good thing that you didn't try to grapple with me, you piece of shit. I would break more than just your jaw!" Roman said as he spat.

"Then I'll grapple with you!" The terrorist barely said.

_The terrorist tried shooting for a takedown, but due to the weight and size difference added with the fact that he was severely injured, it was not successful. Roman swept his opponent over and got into the side mount position. He asked if the terrorist wanted to give up, but he spat blood on his uniform in response. Disgusted by the terrorist's actions, Roman kneed the injured man once and locked his arm in a wicked Kimura._

"If you tap right now, I won't break your arm!" Roman yelled.

"Fuck you, dirty American! I'd rather die!"

_The terrorist pulled out a hidden knife from his pocket with his free hand, but it was immediately taken away from him by Roman. He locked the terrorist's arm back in the Kimura and snapped the elbow and shoulder joints, rendering his arm useless. He screamed in pain as Roman finally had the FBI guys apprehend the terrorist, being "careful" in not injuring the other arm and having him "walk" back to the truck._

"We ran into a little trouble back inside, but it seems you had everything under control, sir," Aubert said, motivated by his commanding officer.

_Roman laughed._

"Of course, how do you think I have all of you under control?" Roman joked, earning a laugh from his team.

"I don't think I'd mind being under your control, sir!" Waller joked.

"Get out of here with that gay shit Waller! Our captain is only interested in females and females only! The last time I checked, you are gay and that you have a husband!" Khan yelled with jest.

_Roman chuckled as Joker Team began to make fucked up jokes about one another. Ranging from calling Khan a White Masks terrorist in disguise, to Lee being accused of being a dog eater, none of them knew when to stop when it came to dark humor. It was all in fun, and Roman approved it. That's how his team got along, and it was how it built a lot of trust amongst one another. If you could make cruel jokes about your fellow Marine and he doesn't get angry at all and retaliates with one of his own, that's when you will know that the Marine was fit for the job._

_Roman looked along. More hostages were being escorted safely outside. Many of them either were had minor bruises or scratches or had a severe injury like a gunshot wound or a deep laceration to a part of the body. More White Masks terrorists were being walked out while handcuffed, bags covering their heads to prevent them from seeing anything._

_Joker Team walked towards the FBI, ATF, LAPD, LASD, and the CDC had their tents set up. The National Guard was also on sight to escort the White Masks to a holding site. A tent was set up correctly for them. They walked in and threw their gear on the ground. Admittedly, Roman thought it was one of the toughest, if not, the most robust operation he went on and the toughest conflict since the Battle of Los Angeles. He wasn't physically tired by any means. He could go on a 26-mile hike with a 70-pound rucksack on with no problem. Roman was tired mentally. He needed to sleep and relax in the comfort of his bed. He's sure that Osiris was missing both he and Thor and just wanted to play with the latter._

_Joker Team removed their boots and began stretching out their feet. It was recommended by their Corpsman Lee to change their socks to avoid contracting any foot fungus. It was nasty and very irritating for Lee to deal with as he had to deal with other Marine Raiders that showed up to his office, every single day. Even Roman himself was not stupid to not change his socks. They were very sweaty anyways, and a nice change of socks and his boots sounded kind to him. He had no boots, though, as neither he or his Marines brought rucksacks, but Thor always carried a fresh pair of socks. He took them from Thor, cleaned his feet with water, sprayed cologne on them, and placed the new pair back on._

_The rain was still heavy but began to slow down. The dark sky still appeared. LAPD officers and LASD deputies were walking around as security. Some were talking to their superiors, and others were comforting the civilians that were crying._

_Looking over to the tent where on-site doctors and nurses were treating the wounded, Roman swore, he saw a woman that looked like Lucíana a lot. So much so that Roman was tempted to approach her. He didn't, though. It wasn't worth being caught in his emotions even more after what happened moments ago. Sometimes Roman wished that there was no more conflict in the world. That there was no more hate between two races, religions, nationalities, or countries. Peace was all the Marine asked for, nothing more. But as long evil still existed on Earth, Roman will stay and fight against the evil men who wished to watch the world burn._

* * *

_ **Several hours later, present time** _

_ **September 12, 2017** _

_ **Hereford Base, Herefordshire, England** _

_ **11:30 PM UK Time.** _

_Roman woke up from his dream. It was a real event that happened, though, but it was replayed in his mind while he was asleep. It wasn't pleasant, as it involved many deaths of many innocent civilians. It was an operation, a mission, and a conflict. He hoped that he would never see it happen on American soil ever again. It angered him when he saw the terrorists slaughtering the civilians who did not harm them. Being in a position that required professionalism and a lot of helicopter observing from his superiors, Roman always made sure to keep his cool._

_An angry Roman wasn't someone to be messed with. Because if you are not able to kill him with your bullets, you better be skilled with your fists and kicks, or else you'll be damned._

_Because Captain Roman Y. De La Rosa was now out for blood. Thirsty to drink the White Masks' blood._

* * *

_ **Author's note (11/18/2019): I would like to thank every single of your that are committed to joining me on my journey of rewriting the story entirely. I appreciate every single one of you who read the first 25 original chapters. Unfortunately, I had to remove all of them as I personally didn't like them from a writer's point of view. I do hope that all of you enjoyed reading this new first chapter.** _

_ **To address a couple of things before I receive DMs and reviews:** _

_ **1.) I have decided to apply Roman knowledge explicitly. In the old story, he was the Valedictorian of his graduating class at the age of 17 and enlisted right after. The rework will have Roman graduate as Valedictorian at age 10, graduating Summa Cum Laude at age 14, and attend Medical School for three full years. Now, some of you may think that I'm making Roman a little too smart. Trust me on this, the new and improved Roman will be a lot more likable, and less will question his character.** _

_ **2.) I have decided to have Roman enlist with a Force Recon UZ contract instead of just joining and trying out for MARSOC. Let's be real here, guys. The Marine Raiders won't take any average Infantry Marine, more or less, let them try out. Being in Force Recon is the best possible way to have MARSOC offer you a tryout. Roman, in the original story, was unrealistic with little to no training. With the new novel, Roman will have extensive training from all the Marine Corps and Army schools and courses he took. He and Joker Team have also cross-trained with other Tier-1 CT units such as Delta Force, Seal Team Six, GROM, SAF (Philippines), for example.** _

_ **3.) I introduced Thor towards the middle of the story, replacing that stupid explosive drone I gave Roman two years ago in August of 2017. I have written Thor to be Roman's companion and best friend from the start of the story instead of being introduced later on. That way, I can explain Thor's new backstory and the relationship between him and Roman. No more of that stupid explosive drone shit! Really? It will be a waste of money if you're going to have them mass-produced, used only once in combat, and produced again. Thor is a lot more efficient and effective than some drone that makes a lot of noise. Oh, I have decided to give Roman a pet King Cobra named Osiris, a similar background as well.** _

_ **4.) Joker Team is the Marine Raider's flagship unit and the first to always respond to significant threats on the President's direct request. Joker Team is the most diverse team across all Special Operations Forces, but they are also the most notorious Marines in history, in which every member was averaging six Article-15's. They are the best at what they do, and that includes being in a lot of trouble lol.** _

_ **5.) The Iron Stand Act of 2012 will be explained later on in the story. But let's say that it gives the President of The United States more freedom with using the military. In part of the act, Joker Team only responds to their captain's orders, the battalion commander, USSOCOM commander, and the President of The United States.** _

_ **6.) The relationship between Roman and Taina felt a little too rushed for me. That's one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to rewrite the entire story. I tried to make the relationship feel natural, but that wasn't the case in the old story. Too much pointless smut with no real meaning behind them, along with their other sexual desires. With the rework underway, their romance will have a severe buildup, aka a slow burn. I don't know when they will officially be boyfriend and girlfriend, but it definitely won't happen in the first 15 chapters. I will take my time to build it up. I want their romance to feel natural and lovely. Roman and Taina will develop romantic feelings for one another.** _

_ **7.) Lucíana Acosta is the name of Roman's ex-best friend. She's around seven or eight years older than him, but I haven't given an exact age and birthdate, so don't quote me on that. She will be explained more often by Roman and at times, by Harry and Roman's mother, María. Let's say the way their friendship ended was based on pure jealousy and rage.** _

_ **8.) I changed Roman's relevant experience so I can explain it much more comfortably. World War 3 broke out in my story, which lasted a little over three years, with the majority of the fighting being in the European and Asia theaters.** _

_ **To all of you again who supported me from day one and to the people who supported me whenever and continue to do so, I thank you all for sticking by my side and for being patient with me when I took down the entire story so it can be rewritten. It will be longer and a lot better.** _

_ **I want to thank my friend GrinGravy for helping me out with my story since August of 2017. Literally, without him, my story wouldn't have made it this far, and with the rewritten story coming along, he has his work cut out for him lol.** _

_ **I appreciate you all. The Unsung Hero will be better than ever.** _


	2. Chapter 2: Critical Darling

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the Operators or Deputy Director Six. I only own the OC.**

**Thank you all for the support that you have given me for the first chapter. I will admit that I struggled a little bit in rewriting Roman and that I did not know which new direction to take the story. Now that the first chapter is uploaded and I have a sense of where I want to make things, I will deliver on the promise that this story will be better than the original one.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Critical Darling.**

_ **September 2, 2017.** _

_ **Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.** _

_ **16:30 hours** _

_The third world war brought many changes to the Earth. Most notably, The United States annexed Malaysia and Bulgaria while Colombia was handed over through an act of cession, and the three countries were subsequently added with Puerto Rico as countries under United States control. The first country, Malaysia, was liberated by the United States Marine Corps and Navy since Russian and Chinese forces initially occupied it. The territory was now used for military purposes, mainly for the Marines with additional land navigation courses and jungle survival schools. Malaysia also now the home of the recently formed United States Navy Ninth Fleet, part of the United States Pacific Fleet, due to over 90% of the Seventh Fleet being drawn out from Pear Harbor and lured into a trap set up by the coalition forces._

_Colombia was the next country to have the United States take over. The President of Colombia initially requested assistance from the President of the United States to help stop the spread of the Santa Blanca cartel but then had the government of Colombia create a cession agreement to be considered an unincorporated territory of the United States. Since then, Colombia has served as a buffer zone to protect the country that controls them._

_Bulgaria, like Malaysia, was liberated by the United States Army from Russian Federation control. NATO forces used the country as a springboard for the massive invasion onto Moscow. The rest of the European Union promised the citizens of Bulgaria freedom, and they were given just that. With the help of the United States and Germany, Bulgaria became a federal republic with a two-party system, very similar to the US. Scientists and mathematicians helped the United States and De La Rosa Industries with the ODIN project, with the only condition that Bulgaria receives protection from the bombardment system._

_There has been some speculation within several news outlets that the United States constructed the ODIN satellite for the sole purpose of ruling the Earth with an "Iron Fist." Of course, the United States would deny such allegations. Then again, why would they continue to increase their annual budget over time if they aren't preparing for war? Or are they?_

_The reason why the United States decided to annex Malaysia and Bulgaria while accepting Colombia as a territory was debated amongst several news outlets, world leaders, and other political figures. Maybe because it was from an economic standpoint? The three countries could be used as trading hubs between the United States and other sovereign nations. The United States has been using Colombia to pressure the Venezuelan government officials to give up their oil. Weird considering the fact that the US was in Iraq and Afghanistan. Who knows? The 4th Marine Division has reactivated to an active-duty unit, and their new home was in Marine Corps Base Camp Basilone, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia._

* * *

"Hmm, history is surely fascinating. I wonder if there's another version of me out there that is married or with children? Ha, maybe there's a version me that don't have burned hands as I do." Thermite said.

_Jordan "Thermite" Trace, former FBI SWAT, prior active duty United States Marine, and current operator of Rainbow. His scruffy beard, goggles, and black helmet made him identifiable. He was the lead operator of the mission they're on. Coming from the military branch that strives for excellence, Thermite excepts himself to perform to the best of his abilities and expects his fellow operators to do the same. He has been through a lot over his career. Two tours in Afghanistan and the deaths of his sister and mother have taken a toll on him. But Thermite has learned to solidify himself and keep his emotions in check. He tends to crack jokes a lot, especially at the worst times. Thermite uses humor to keep himself focus and to let his operators to feel more relaxed and to see him as a leader instead of a boss. So far, he has no hostility towards anyone within Rainbow._

"Hmmm, I'm not too sure about that, Jordan. You tend to be a lot reckless at times. I wouldn't be surprised if alternate versions of yourself have more burned parts of their body." Ash gently kicked Thermite's shin.

_Eliza "Ash" Cohen, former FBI SWAT, former Shaldag operator, and one of Rainbow's **De Facto**_ _ leaders, had to take an unfortunate backseat and let her former "leader" take command once again. Initially from the country of Israel, Ash was transferred to the FBI due to an international law enforcement exchange program. Not a lot of the FBI guys liked her from the start. Her brash attitude and tendencies to have unnecessary aggression nearly gotten her sent back to her original unit. Through some convincing from Thermite, the director of the FBI allowed Ash to stay. She did._

_There was a friendly rivalry between Thermite and Ash to see who's the better fit to lead operations. The redhead had her fair share of leading activities, but some operators within Rainbow complain that she's "too serious" and "intense." An agreement was made a while ago between Thermite and Ash. They agreed that he would be in charge during their tenure within the FBI and that she would be in charge once they transferred to Rainbow. So far, mixed results._

"Hey Eliza, it's called being a great leader and not letting anyone get hurt with the stuff I do. Shuhrat almost burned his hands as well when he tried testing out my Brimstone."

"Great leader? Great leaders would let his followers take a chance at leading Jordan."

"Hey Eliza, you were the one that allowed me to take the lead. Do you remember the time where you lead the very first mission you were on during our FBI days?"

"Um, no, I don't." Eliza joked.

_Eliza and Jordan looked out the window of their limousine. Kuala Lumpur was the capital city of Malaysia, boasting gleaming skyscrapers, colonial architecture, charming locals, and a myriad of natural attractions. Divided into numerous districts, its central hub is called the Golden Triangle, which comprises Bukit Bintang, KLCC and Chinatown. The city is also home to the tallest twin towers in the world. It is also the third most visited city by tourists at 12.1 million. Expensive shopping centers crowded every day — dozens of hawker stalls, cafes, and hundreds of restaurants that served various types of cuisines._

_At least that what it looked like today._

_Six years ago, the capital city of Malaysia was ravaged by the third world war. Most of the structures were destroyed by missiles, bullets, and the coalition forces who burned them down. The citizens were gunned down if they dared run through the barren streets. The air smelled like blood, gunpowder, and fear. The city was used as a stronghold to control most of Southeast Asia, along with Manila and Iloilo City in the Philippines. The Russian and Chinese Air Force also used Kuala Lumpur for airstrikes and bombardments onto several cities in Indonesia. It took Allied Forces nearly three years to liberate the capital city as the Coalition Forces fiercely defended the surrounding countries._

_Along with Los Angeles, Sacramento, Manila, Iloilo City, and Bogotá, Kuala Lumpur's reconstruction efforts were led by DLR Industries. Just like the citizens of the other reconstructed cities, the Malaysians were very accepting of the reformation and were very supportive of the non-hostile annexation of their country. After all, they sure loved their American tourists._

* * *

_The recently renovated Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was the host of the bi-annual DLR gala. The first gala was always held on the first Saturday of September and the second gala being held on the last Saturday of December. Many guests were invited; billionaires, investors, actors, doctors, and veterans from various militaries across the world. It was also the most expensive charity gala held, with the De La Rosa spending around $500 million. That was including food, chefs, renting out the venue, paying the Royal Malaysia Police to provide security along with the InGen Security. The gala usually showcased whatever new technology DLR Tech came up with but it was different this time around. Doctors, engineers, scientists, astronomers, astrophysicists, political figures, and celebrities made up the majority of the guests, in that order._

_That's right, 2/5th of the budget is going towards paying the RMP alone. Having a top-rated event was sure to draw attention and trouble. There was someone bound to cause pain, or at the very minimum, get him or herself kicked out. The family was also a primary target for the White Masks terrorist group. Fortunately enough, all of their attempts to cause terror was stomped before they could even press a trigger. Though their tactics were evolving and rumors were spreading that the organization was receiving from DLR Industries rival company, Abstergo. The last terrorist attack caused by the White Masks was the Staples Center Hostage Crisis back in July that left dozens dead and hundreds more either permanently disabled or maimed._

_The security for this charity event made the convention center look like a small military base — guards armed with fully-automatic rifles, K9 units patrolling the perimeters, snipers on the roof, everything. Metal detectors were placed at the entrances of the convention center. Fingerprint and eyeball scanners were used to confirm that the guests were who they were. After all, it is possible to clone humans with modern technology._

_Maybe, just maybe._

_Jordan stepped out of the vehicle first. He was wearing the generic black and white tuxedo. A couple of photographers were taking photos of the Texan man, but thankfully not enough._

"Ready, Liza?" Jordan reached out to assist her.

"I still don't know why I agreed to act as your fake wife. You know I'm seeing someone, right?" Eliza stepped out.

_Her black satin halter dress and black Jimmy Choo heels along with a very expensive black Rolex watch drew all the attention away from Jordan and onto her. The fabric clung to her body nicely, giving the cameras a beautiful view of the fit body she worked on for several years. What they didn't know was the numerous scars that she gained. They were all bullet, stab, and surgery wounds. Some of the men she bedded weren't turned on. Most would leave soon after dropping their loads on her face. Thankfully (to her at least), she finally found a man that appreciated every part of her body and wasn't shy to kiss her scars — several dates, a lot of kisses, and a lot more sex. Her lover even mentioned to the American operators that he planned on proposing to Eliza._

_Though, the man in question wasn't Jordan Trace._

_If he was honest with himself, the man that Eliza was dating made him extremely jealous. Jordan didn't have a legitimate reason to be angry at him. He treats her right, buys her gifts, gives her the best fucking, everything. As much as it pained him to see the woman he loves the most in the arms of another man, Jordan's profession took priority, and romance wasn't necessary to him. In reality, it was a lie that he was telling himself since the day he met Eliza Cohen. No way that he would fall in love with her._

_He did._

"Jordan? Jordan?" Eliza snapped her fingers in front of Jordan, who was spacing out.

"Uh, yeah! Let's um, go." He locked arms with Eliza.

"Remember Jordan, your hands don't touch my ass, and your eyes don't stare at my chest." Eliza pointed out as they posed for a couple of photos.

"Whatever Eliza. I'm just going to go talk to other women then if you don't let me act like a husband, haha."

"Disgusting pig. No wonder why you haven't had a serious relationship since you graduated from college."

_Eliza meant her comment as a joke, but Jordan took it a little bit serious. It was true, though, he hasn't had a serious relationship since graduating from Texas A&M. The passing of his sister and mother did put a dent in his social life. Who else would he introduce his significant other to? Jordan surely has family in Texas, but he hasn't talked to them in a while, and his grandparents are still alive living well in Ireland. Jordan was the type of guy not to take mean comments sincerely or to heart, but it seemed Eliza could manage to do it just fine._

"Fuck you?" Jordan grumbled as they walked into the convention center.

"What did you say?" Eliza looked at Jordan.

_Before Jordan could make another smartass comment that would surely earn him a slap from Eliza, another black limousine with distinguishable markings pulled up. Every single paparazzi asshole crowded the vehicle as if they're not allowing the occupants to step outside. Security responded in record time to assist the occupants. The paparazzi were pushed back to their original positions. Their cameras were ready to capture the anticipated guests._

_The first to step out was a male. He stood around 5'10, looked no more than 175 lbs. His attire was an all-black tuxedo with black suede shoes. Some of the other guests were mistaking him for either the race car driver Marlon Stöckinger or his eldest child Roman. The co-founder, co-owner, CEO, and President of DLR Industries, Mr. José F. De La Rosa, arrived. His four other children followed suit. Melvin, Kevin, Victoria, and Elizabeth. His girlfriend also came out of the limousine. The two people missing were Roman himself and Maria._

_The cameramen began taking their photos of the wealthiest family on Earth. Thankfully, _ _Jos_ _é pressed a button hidden in his pocket, which permanently disabled the cameras within the vicinity, rendering the photos taken useless._

"Should we go in?" Eliza asked.

"What else do you think? Of course." Jordan responded.

_Eliza and Jordan checked in. They looked like the typical suburban Dallas-Forth Worth couple. Caucasian male and female, lovely house, maybe a kid or two, and pets. Though, most of the guests weren't aware that they were two of the most lethal Tier-1 operators on the planet. They were, you know, enjoying their vacation together and were coincidentally invited to the event._

_Jordan would be lying to himself if he wasn't tempted to touch Eliza. He was acting as her husband but wasn't allowed to "act" as one. Eliza's cleavage was aggrandized. He tried peeking down to look, but she pinched him before he could._

"Can you not Jordan? Be more professional, please?" Eliza said.

"How am I supposed to be professional if I can't act as your husband. Our covers would be blown if you won't let me do what husbands are supposed to do with their wives. Touch their boobs and ass with their consent, of course."

_Eliza rolled her eyes as she tried not to blush. Jordan did make sense, though. If he wasn't allowed to touch her and she was caught swatting him away, suspicion would be built up. Very notable people surround them, surely acting "inappropriately" would be mild compared to what they do behind the scenes._

_More and more guests showed up. The convention center looked like a small town when compared with the tens of thousands of guests. Some of them continued to mingle in the garden while the rest entered the building to take their seats._

_Inside, dozens of large round tables were set up. Expensive white table cloths complimented the luscious silverware. The decorations hanging from the rafters had the words "Jurassic World" imprinted on them. A 100-foot fish tank showcased the rarest aquatic animals, along with ones that were never discovered before. Holograms and videos of dinosaurs were displayed. They looked real. Some of the guests were skeptical of what's going on, but nobody dared to voice their opinions. After all, they're investing large sums of money in return for profit._

_And cloned dinosaurs._

"Roman's family couldn't be serious in trying to open another Jurassic World after what happened in 2015." One of the guests said.

_Eliza turned to the direction where she heard the guest mention Rainbow's next potential operator's name. A table filled with young but bright individuals stared at the podium as they talked. She remembered them as Roman's friends from medical school. All of them were already doctors working at the same hospital together. The doctors were a couple of years older than Roman. She remembered reading how much Roman improved their group — going from 7th place to 1st in just two months. He was their brains and the **de facto **leader, just like how she's one of Rainbow's **de facto **leaders._

_The person that Eliza was intrigued by the most was also there. Now she knew why Roman was attracted to her when she read his history. He was jealous too._

_Not that she would admit it, but she'd make out with her if given a chance to do so. Then again, Eliza wasn't sure. _ _Lucíana Acosta looked precisely the same as the UFC ring girl that shared the exact first name as her. Funny, she was wearing the same dress as she was. Albeit that her figure was hugged more tightly._

"Isn't that Roman's ex-bestfriend?" Jordan whispered.

"Yeah. It's a good thing that Roman isn't here. Weird though, he normally doesn't miss out on these kinds of events." Eliza mentioned.

_It was. Roman never in his life had missed out on his family's annual gala event or whatever it was. He would be the first one to show up but only wore his favorite Lakers jersey and basketball shorts. He was not one to dress up nice to impress anyone as he doesn't need to try much at all. His physical appearance and handsome were enough to attract the most beautiful women, even the married ones. Roman never took a lady back to the barracks though._

_A couple of live small to medium-sized herbivore dinosaurs were brought out to show the guests. Pachycephalosaurus, Gallimaimus, and Pelecanimimus, to name a few. Some of the affluent guests asked where the mean and aggressive carnivores were. Were they that stupid? They were probably only asking those kinds of silly questions to see if _ _Jos_ _é would be tempted to take their offers to sell the carnivores. He wasn't, though. He learned his lesson almost two years ago in December. Hundreds of guests died during the Jurassic World incident, which resulted in scrutiny from the media and massive lawsuits that were filed against DLR Industries and InGen. He and his company lost billions of dollars in assets and the loss of his bestfriend Simon Masrani. Although it wasn't a good idea and the chances of another incident were very high, _ _Jos_ _é decided to start up another Jurassic World amusement park in the Santiago Canyon area in Orange County, California._

_Surprisingly though, the reception to _ _Jos_ _é announcing a new Jurassic World amusement park was under construction a few weeks ago along with the gala was great. 91% of the people agreed that it was a good idea to open a new theme park and to have it within the mainland United States. The 9% that disagree were just the stupid left-wing and right-wing area who hated the De La Rosa family, and several conservationists tried to have the reconstruction stopped. Animal rights activists even tried protesting that cloned dinosaurs that were formerly extinct had the same rights as their descendants. Trying to educate one of the most intelligent families in existence just proved how much intellectually superior they were compared to them. _ _Jos_ _é appreciated their efforts, but it would take more than just words and money to convince him._

_Eliza adjusted her earpiece._

"White Noise, we're in position, no sign of the target yet." Eliza whispered.

* * *

"Copy that Ash. We're continuing to look around." Dokkaebi said.

_Grace Nam, also known as Dokkaebi in Rainbow, was one of Rainbow's intelligence operatives and designated markswoman (man?). Her full potential has brought the organization she joined a lot of success. Her skills with technology and her limitless potential with hacking paved the way for her to be one of the best Rainbow operators in history. The choice for Grace to accept Rainbow's offer to join was quite easy for her. A lot of the operators within the 707th White Tigers didn't like her at all due to her carefree attitude and tendencies to not follow orders that she didn't like. It got to a point where it caused her to butt heads with the White Tigers' commander Major General Kuh. Knowing that Major General Kuh wouldn't put her on the list of potential operators to be recruited by Rainbow, she went out of her way to get them to notice her. They did, and an offer was made._

_Dokkaebi continued to type on the computer and scan each file manually. She thought about using her "Logic Bomb" but the firewall security was near impossible to get through even with her skills. Resorting to using the keyboard and mouse was the choice._

"Where is it?" Dokkaebi adjusted her eyeglasses.

"Maybe if you could learn how to be a better hacker, maybe you could get through the Diamond Firewall." Vigil looked out the window.

_Chul Kyung "Vigil" Hwa was the other 707th White Tigers' operator recruited into Rainbow. He was the top operator on the White Tigers' list of potential operators to be recruited into Rainbow. He was assiduous, methodical, and firm. Chul, however, was very reserved and usually kept to himself most of the time and only talked to his fellow operators while planning for an operation or during a training exercise. His traumatizing childhood and the deaths of the people he loved the most created a huge wound that was difficult to stitch up. Despite being the top operator in the 707th Battalion, Chul disliked being in social situations. He doesn't like people thinking the wrong way about him. His codename suits him perfectly as he tends to stay alert even when he keeps his eyes closed for hours at a time._

_He accepted Rainbow's offer to join them when Major General Kuh suggested him. Though, he only accepted because Grace accepted Rainbow's offer and wanted to keep an eye on her at all times and to make sure he had nothing negative to report back to Kuh that would compromise her service with Rainbow. Chul only wanted to keep Grace safe even when she thinks of him negatively at times. Not that he would admit it but Chul sees her as the only family member he has left. The safety of Grace was his top priority and would do everything in his power to ensure that she is taken care of, even if it means defying Kuh's orders. Losing her would mean the end of his career with Rainbow and potentially with the White Tigers as well._

"The Diamond Firewall can be compromised Vigil but I'm not at that level yet. I would say Diamond's security is even tighter than Fort Knox's security." Dokkaebi clicked on another file that also turned out to be empty.

"What are we looking for anyway?" Vigil asked, turning to Dokkaebi.

"We're looking for transcripts that DLR somehow managed to get their hands on. It's a couple of memos between Abstergo and several InGen's top PMC rivals. Apparently, a team of PMC operators snuck into the heavily guarded Jurassic World that was abandoned several weeks after the incident. They've stolen a rib from the Indominus Rex skeleton inside the Mosasaur lagoon. One poor soul didn't make it through, resulting in Abstergo receiving a ten million dollar lawsuit from his family. Needless to say, the family wasn't heard from again."

"Abstergo probably made them disappear."

"Probably. I wouldn't doubt it one bit as Abstergo always seemed shady to me. I'm not sure how good your history is but I suspect them of being under the control of the Templar Order. They use the company to shield their illegal activities behind the scenes by setting up, quote on quote, legitimate business sectors such as Abstergo Entertainment for example. I will admit that they're very successful as some of the best films that were released in the 21st century were produced by them, but they always seem to be ten steps behind DLR Industries."

"What about that New Fluoride incident five years ago in China? Wasn't one of Abstergo's scientists responsible for creating that synthetic drug?"

"Yeah. Abstergo obviously denied such accusations but the scientists somehow "disappeared" as well. The American government conducted an investigation after their Flouride Enhancement Studies was leaked by a woman named Susan Drayton. Now before you say anything, yes I have hacked into the FBI's database and yes, she's in protective custody living in a nice condo in Chicago close to the FBI field office."

"Why would Abstergo need a rib of the Indominus Rex though?" Vigil asked.

"They're going to probably try and recreate the Indominus Rex. They do have the money to do it but I seriously doubt that they have the scientists and geneticists to do such a crazy experiment. The late Simon Masrani invested $26 million into the Indominus Rex project and I'm sure that it would cost a lot more than $26 million now. A lot of other genetic cloning companies are trying to create their own cloned dinosaurs but they don't have the same resources as DLR Industries. Also, I kind of suspect DLR Industries to have strong ties with the Assassin Brotherhood." Dokkaebi adjusted her glasses.

"I could see it. Abstergo always tries to one-up DLR in anything the former does. Would their reasons for success be in relation to the Apples of Eden?"

"I see that you know your history maseukeu (mask). Could it be that you're finally attending Harry's random history classes in Oxford?"

"No. Believe it or not and despite everyone mocking his intelligence, I learned most of the stuff I know from Craig. The Apples of Eden are powerful artifacts on their own. The Apples were formulated to be able to create images, materialize realistic illusions, and could even turn thought into reality; hence, they were used by many great rulers throughout history, proving the efficiency of their powers. They're also capable of creating time paradoxes. Though if the Apples are used in conjunction, they would be capable of opening portals to different universes. Might not be true as not two Apples were used together at the same time."

_Dokkaebi ended up finding the file she was looking before she could respond to what Vigil said. She pulled out her top of the line (not really) USB drive and downloaded the large file. Her and Vigil's expressions and thoughts turned out to be right. Abstergo planned on using the rib they took from the Indominus Rex skeleton and planned on recreating the hellish beast. She continued to look around other files to see if anything was worth taking with her. Dokkaebi was looking fast though as they didn't have much time left._

_Vigil looked out the window and saw two guards trying to access the locked door. Thankfully, neither of them had the key to the room. Even so, suspicions would be made and force entry into the office would be deemed necessary. If that were to happen, it would mean that Vigil would be forced to kill both men. At least that's what he didn't want to happen._

"Dokkaebi, do you have what you need.?" Vigil sternly asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Hold on a minute. Almost done here." Dokkaebi waved Vigil off.

_A third guard came along with a spare key into the office they were in. They were armed with Beretta 92s, nothing that the masked man couldn't handle._

_The lock unlocked_

_The door opened and the three guards came. When they entered, the found the office empty. The computer was still on, the monitor displaying Google Chrome. One of the guards checked to see if the computer was tampered in any way. He couldn't find anything. They looked around for any signs of forced entry. No broken glass nor was the doorknobs were broken._

"Sir, the office is empty." Auditore said, touching his watch.

"Alright, lock the office before you leave. Check again just to make sure. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those Abstergo lowlives are here. They're so desperate to ruin what they don't have." José said through the other line.

"10-4 sir. Auditore out."

_The guards took one last look before locking the office. Dokkaebi and Vigil looked through the window, hearing the entire conversation. Dokkaebi saved it on her tablet even though it wouldn't mean much for what other evidence Rainbow had._

"Ash, we have what we need. I guess it's your turn to find our subject and abduct him." Dokkaebi said.

"Copy that Dokkaebi. It shouldn't be hard to find him despite the hundreds of guests. Can you hack into the cameras to make our jobs down here easier? I know the cameras here are top of the line and are able to scan faces to identify individuals." Ash responded.

"That I can do with no problem. Give me a few seconds though. I don't want to raise any suspicions."

* * *

_Ash responded as she looked around at the guests. There was a minor delay in _ _José's opening speech. She thought that Dokkaebi and Vigil were compromised but they were not much to her delight. She looked at her name card. "Wendy C. Smith". For some reason, it didn't bother her as much but she still didn't like having to share Jordan's last name, whether it was fake for one night or not. She didn't like him in the sense of having romantic feelings. Ash saw her as a brother and in a sense, a mentor. There was nothing else going on between them besides a sibling-Esque relationship._

_Turning to her right, she looked at her companion for the night. Thermite had a clean shave, abandoning the scruffy beard he had. She would be outright lying to herself if she didn't find him handsome though. His recent behavior made her suspicious. Maybe he was having a bad day and regrets going on this mission? Or did he miss another date with that young English lady he met in Oxford University when he was taking one of Harry's classes? Or was it because she was nagging to him about not taking their previous operations as seriously as she would like? Who knew? Ash definitely found it odd as Thermite would never act in such seriousness ever. Not even during their FBI days._

"What's into you Jordan?" Ash asked.

"Nothing. It's just I forgot to apply ointment on my burned hands. Everyone's going to think I'm some freak who likes to play with fire." Jordan looked straight at José, who was walking to the podium.

"You shouldn't be talking about yourself like that Jordan. You're better than that."

"Whatever, the speech is about to start."

_The big boss of DLR Industries took the stage. The man of the hour. José was going to talk about his company first, of course._

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. If you didn't know me before today, today you will. I'm José De La Rosa, father of my five successful children and CEO and President of DLR Industries. I would like to thank every single one of you for attending the annual DLR gala. Doctors, engineers, scientists, and everyone else paving the way for the advancement of science and technology, I appreciate every single one of you for giving me the time of day. DLR Industries prioritizes the future of Earth and I can say that we are investing $20 billion dollars in 2018 into our sciences and engineering division to start the next generation of technology and the next step to colonizing Mars. I would like to announce that our geneticists in the S&E branch have successfully cloned the first African Elephant. The geneticists and scientists are currently conducting experiments and tests to see if cloning was 100%. I will share the information and analysis once they are done. DLR Aerospace and DLR Firearms are currently looking to parts to upgrade the ODIN satellite that would greatly reduce the budget while keeping its current effectiveness. Currently, it costs us and the United States Government around $200 billion together to keep the satellite and platforms operational. With our current plans, we would save around $30 billion dollars and most of it will be allocated into DLR Medicine, where we will be focusing on multiple cures for all diseases, most notably for ALS. I will admit that we have failed several times in 2017 and we have lost more money in research alone more than the annual budget. I will also admit that I have thought about recommending to the board about shutting down the medicine division as most of my top employees admitted that they were finding very minimal success." José looked at the crowd.

_The crowd looked on in silence. Most of them were surprised at how open José was at admitting failure. Not once have they heard from him admitting to the mistakes that were made. Some of them could understand and others could not._

_They ended up clapping ferociously after several seconds of silence._

"However, the doctors, nurses, surgeons, and medical scientists are committed to the research. We will not give up and we will continue to fight. Myself, the chairman, the board of directors, and all of our investors have agreed to merge DLR Biotech and DLR Pharmaceutical into DLR Medicine. DLR Industries will be moving DLR Medicine's headquarters from Miami, Florida to Houston, Texas. DLR Medicine's new headquarters will be working closely with the Texas Medical Center on our current projects as well as our future ones. María Yañez will be the new Chief of Medicine. Yes, I'm aware of what happened in the past but that's an entirely different issue and it doesn't diminish her professionalism and status as one of the best doctors in the entire world. She, along with junior surgeons, has developed numerous safety procedures during surgery. Although I cannot guarantee that we will for sure find the cures to everything, I can guarantee that everyone at DLR Medicine will work smart and hard for the next few years to come. All in all, DLR Industries has actually seen a lot more failures than success this year by a ratio of three to two. It was tough for all DLR Industries employees. Thankfully though, we didn't have to lay off any of them despite the billions of dollars that were lost. I can safely say that Abstergo, and excuse me if I am rude here, will never catch up to us as we will learn from our mistakes and guide humanity into the future. We at DLR Industries hope to allow the progression of new ideas and the growth of individuality."

_The crowd erupted again. They either clapped or whistled or one before the other?_

"Now, like all previous DLR galas, I announce the newest and biggest project of the year. Just to recap the biggest DLR projects in the past six years. In 2011, we announced the development of the first fully functional exosuit that was used for the people with difficulties in their movement. In 2012, DLR launched the most intelligent Artificial Intelligence in the world, Smart Artificial Mind. I know I'm not the best in the world when it comes to naming things so don't roast me haha. In 2013, DLR Firearms, DLR Technologies, and DLR Aerospace revealed the Orbital Defense Initiative, commonly known as ODIN. It became the United State's sole superweapon as nuclear weapons were outlawed internationally. DLR Technologies has senior-level positions open that involve maintaining, operating, and analyzing the ODIN satellite from the ground. The year of 2014 in December, DLR Biotech, along with InGen, revealed the Indominus Rex project. The Jurassic World incident still haunts me to this day and I still apologize every single day. I pray for all the victims and I hope the families and survivors and everyone else hat was affected in any way forgives me. I will continue to pay my debt for as long as I live."

_Some of the audience members were survivors of the Jurassic World incident. Some of them even lost family members, friends, and even lovers. Even fewer developed mild forms of PTSD. It was tough for them to move on as they nearly met their creator during that unfateful day. Limbs were lost. None became blind or deaf though._

_Despite the majority of the survivors filing lawsuits that turned out in their favor, the Jurassic World incident was swept under the rug and was rarely talked about since then._

"With all being said. I would like to formally show the new Jurassic World amusement park."

_José turned around. A large projector screen lowered for easier visibility._

_The screen showed the Jurassic Park logo. It then changed to a recording of the new amusement park. Multiple enclosures of different sizes were shown. Various herbivores were shown in herds playing with one another. A couple of attractions that you would find at other theme parks were seen as well. Long roller coasters, bumper cars, Ferris wheels. The new and improved Gyrosphere rolled around the open field with the Triceratops in the open field. Convenience stores, five-star restaurants, five-star hotels, and other stores were shown. It was like a mini-city with how modern everything looks. The security of the park was top of the line, though it left some in doubt. Nonetheless, the reception was more than what the DLR CEO expected._

"Before I continue on with the announcement, InGen will not be including any large carnivores with the sole exception of Rexy. All of the large carnivores that are on Isla Nublar will be relocated to Site B on Isla Sorna where they can live out the rest of their lives in harmony. All carnivores that are smaller than the Velociraptors will be featured in their enclosures and will be monitored 24/7. Due to the specifications on how the new Jurassic World is being built, guests will only be permitted to feed the herbivores. For logistical reasons, there will be only a few prehistoric aquatic animals. InGen will consider which aquatic animals should be brought into the new park. Jurassic World will open with ten herbivores, six carnivores, and eight aquatic animals. We will be adding one herbivore and one carnivore into Jurassic World every four months together and will introduce one aquatic animal every five or six months. We're taking a more conservative approach on how the park should be operated. And before any of you could come up with any questions, I will not be selling any of the carnivores or herbivores. None of the living creatures are up for sale."

_Some of the guests who had sour relations with José took his words as a threat but didn't say anything as they couldn't really do anything to him. He was one of the most powerful men in the world. If anything, only the President of the United States has more power than him. They were only there to see what kind of shit they could copy from DLR Industries, buy whatever that was on the market, and try to reverse engineer it. They would probably fail in the process as they weren't in the same position as their rivals._

"The park is estimated to be completed in February of 2018 and will open the gates to the public in March of 2018. InGen is currently breeding several herbivores and will bring the parents and the eggs to the new park. Dinosaur cloning will start again in November of 2018 but it will depend on several factors, including the herbivores that still reside on Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna. We obviously do not want to overcrowd the park. It would make the dinosaurs uncomfortable and they would probably fight for unclaimed territory."

_The screen then showed a live feed of InGen's laboratory. Dozens of scientists and geneticists were working. They were taking blood samples from the baby dinosaurs. Eggs were being placed in incubators so the fetus (?) could develop properly._

_Jordan looked on in amazement. He was truly fascinated with dinosaurs and always dreamt of riding on a Pteranodon in the skies and pretend that he was a fighter pilot. They were definitely one of a kind. Jordan liked them all. If he really tried, he could probably find a private company that was keeping DNA that originally belonged to DLR. He probably wouldn't have enough money for it. But a man can still dream about it._

_José continued to talk for several more minutes. He then ended his speech and allowed the guests to venture around and look at the herbivores that were currently present. The little kids, oddly enough, rushed over to the deadly and ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex. The holograms provided great detail about the dinosaurs. From the height, weight, and history, it was enough to give a better education than the bullshit the education system gives in a lot of other countries. A large orchestra ensemble began to play music, very beautiful music that would bring even the toughest individuals to tears. The dance floor quickly filled up. Some of the guests were pissed off that they couldn't get on the floor._

"Remember guys. We're looking for a guy named Alfonso Sanchez. Half-German, Half-Colombian dude that was caught in a drug and gun trafficking operation back in the Theme Park Ying, Ela, and Lesion tried busting him the first time. He broke out of prison days later and resumed his activities." Dokkaebi said.

"Yeah, how the hell he managed to get on the invite list then?" Jordan asked.

"Alfonso Sanchez gives it away. Obvious fake name. I've tried scanning INTERPOL's database to see if there's any data on this guy but so far, nothing."

_Jordan and Eliza got up from their table and walked over to the herbivore enclosures. They were allowed to pet the young since the big badass parents aren't around. It would be a scary scene._

"Aren't they fascinating Eliza?" Jordan asked, looking at the baby Stegosaurus.

Eliza locked arms with Jordan "They definitely are. They're really strong and protective of their young."

_Eliza could tell that Jordan was still uncomfortable._

"By the way Eliza. If your boyfriend proposes to you and you say yes, are you going to make me your bridesdude? Is that even a word? Man of Honor? The highest man that's not the groom?" Jordan joked.

_She chuckled as one of the baby Stegosaurus sneezed on Jordan's coat. For some odd reason, Eliza felt a lot more comfortable around Jordan. She feels safer around him, more secure. It was definitely weird as she wasn't supposed to develop those kinds of thoughts about her colleagues that she considers a brother. Whenever Eliza would hug Jordan, bolts of electricity would shoot through her body. It felt as if her mind, body, and soul are asking to be with Jordan. But her heart is telling her to not betray her boyfriend and continue to love him. Eliza was more at ease. Her feminine-Esque body fitted in perfectly with Jordan's well-built frame._

_Eliza began putting the pieces together as to why Jordan was acting strange around her. She couldn't fit the last piece though._

"Are you going to show up though if I do invite you?" Eliza asked, following Jordan to the Triceratops enclosure.

_Jordan caught himself._

"Of course I would Liza'. Why wouldn't I show up to the most important day of your life? Minus the future days where you give birth to little redheads."

_Eliza would love to believe Jordan would be more than willing to show up at her wedding. However, she was finding his words difficult to believe in, evident by him not showing up the past two years to all of her social functions. She was opening up her life little by little with the help of her boyfriend, Jack, and Miles. It made her upset that Jordan didn't show up. She even prepared special occasions just for him. Same thing. He refuses to show up._

_She was thankful that none of the guests cared about an Israeli and an American talking to one another. They had different things to do._

"Alright, I'll take your word for it this time Jordan. If you don't show up for my wedding, well, you'll know what."

"If you don't want me to show up, fine by me I guess."

_Eliza had enough of Jordan's attitude. She looked around for a moment to see if anyone was looking at them. They were all occupied with looking at the herbivores. Opening a janitor's closet, she yanked him inside and closed it. One hard slap across his right cheek was more than enough to make him focus._

"What the fuck was that for?" Jordan angrily asked.

"You're going to tell me what the fuck is going on in that thick empty skull of yours? What is up with you lately? Why are you acting so damn strange around me? Every time I mention something fun or something involving my boyfriend, it always seems to get on your freaking nerves. So Mr. Trace, tell me the hell why are you acting this way? What harm have I caused you? I can't trust a leader that can't trust his comrades. Come on Jordan, tell me."

_The room went silent. It was just their faint breaths and the usual screaming from the little kids running up and down the hallways._

_Jordan looked at Eliza's as she gently caressed his face in comfort. He used both of his hands to hold her left hand. Her skin felt very soft. She was probably using the expensive lotion he bought for her birthday. He brought her left hand closer to his face and inspected the ring finger. No engagement ring yet. He lowered her hand back down. Closing his eye, Jordan savored Eliza's soft touch on his cheek. It made him feel a lot better and helped him calm down quite a bit. Her other hand gently went through his hair. His hand moved up to touch Eliza's hand, the one touching his face._

_Tears slowly began to flow down his face._

"It's nothing Eliza, trust me. I just miss my mother and my sister a lot. I had a good relationship with both of them, but I wasn't even close to either of them during their final days. It obviously made me very sad. You knew what happened on the operation we went on after their deaths. I'm surprised that I'm still on the team Liza'."

_Eliza tried not to cry as well. If Jordan was in pain, she was in pain as well. She felt really bad for him. The deaths of the ones he cared about the most are no longer alive. It was tough for him to cope. He tried everything that was available to him. Therapy, counseling sessions with Harry, PT with the Brits. None of the things he tried helped him one bit._

_She tried to speak but Jordan placed a finger on her luscious red lips._

"I know what you're going to say. My grief doesn't give me an excuse to be angry at you, I apologize for that. I should be better at controlling my emotions. It's a little too much for me at the moment. I'll try to get by, I promise."

"It's okay Jordan. I'm here for you, always."

_Jordan locked eyes with Eliza. He loved looking at her beautiful eyes. He could get lost in them and wouldn't care at all. She cupped both of his cheeks and wiped his tears away. Eliza gave into her temptations and brought his face closer to hers. So close, very._

"Sorry to interrupt the moment but I got a hit on Alfonso." Dokkaebi said.

"The guy with the scruffy beard? Hair slicked back like Tony Stark?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah, that's him. He's near the buffet line getting food. I think it would be best if Eliza would seduce him in a room. Look, I know it sounds stupid and that you have a boyfriend, but let's be real here. This is the only shot we have and we must take it. He's a womanizer so it's easy to lure him into a trap. We have until the event ends and I don't suspect that Alfonso would be leaving anytime soon so take your time."

_Eliza quickly brought her hands back to her side. She bit her lips in frustration. How could one almost give in to her desires? Her lips were mere inches away from betraying her boyfriend, the man she loved. Or does she love him? Eliza's doubts about him were still there and continued to grow every time she was near Jordan. It was tough for her as well._

"That was very close to happening Liza. I don't think your boyfriend would appreciate you being in love with a man that's more handsome than him."

_"Yes Jordan, yes you are." Eliza thought._

_Her cheeks flushed red._

"We should get going now." She mentioned.

"Uh yeah. Ladies first."

_Eliza and Jordan stepped out of the room. They linked their fingers together just to make sure that their disguises are still intact. The baby Stegosaurus' were swinging their tails at one another. The "couple" smiled. It was cute. She sometimes imagined herself being a mother and having a little daughter that looks exactly like her running around the household. Unfortunately, the lifestyle she chose diminished her chances greatly._

_They walked over to the dance floor. Neither were surprised when they saw it still jam-packed with people who want to show off their dance skills. Eliza scanned the area for Alfonso. She found him seconds later talking to _ _Lucíana. They were giggling. She found it odd that one of the smartest students in the United States would flirt with an international criminal that's wanted in over 90 countries. Eliza probably guessed that Alfonso managed to corrupt her and deceiver her as well. The poor soul could've been with the most intelligent man currently but decides to be with someone that likes to have sex with women and leave them right after. She couldn't do anything just yet. She was thinking of a way to separate both of them without Alfonso suspecting that he was about to get kidnapped._

_Eliza and Jordan walked back to their table with food and desserts._

"Isn't that Roman's ex-bestfriend?" Jordan asked, stuffing hot chocolate into his mouth.

"Yes Jordan, I already told you that earlier. Anyways, she apparently has a thing for our HVT. Infatuated with him would probably be the right word to describe things at the moment." Eliza took a piece from Jordan's plate.

"How are we going to separate them? It would be tough. I suppose it would be easy for you to lure Alfonso into a room so that Dokkaebi and Vigil could abduct him but it would be difficult for me. I don't know shit about medical school. Maybe I could show her my burned hands. I think that would work. She would probably suggest for me to go to that fancy medical thing in my home state."

"I think we should just straight up walk to them. There are no cameras inside so we can just distract them directly. You know."

_They finished their food and quickly left the table. Looking around to see if anyone was following or staring at them, Eliza nodded at Jordan. They separated from each other and Jordan was first up._

_Eliza waved down one of the servants and took a glass of champagne. It had a rich taste, she liked it a lot. It was probably expensive too. Probably way too expensive to where she wouldn't even consider buying a bottle. She looked around, observing the guests having a splendid time. She was too. The food was great and the baby dinosaurs were adorable._

"Enjoying the event so far?" A lady called out to Grace.

_Eliza turned to the direction where she heard the voice. It was Victoria De La Rosa, the youngest De La Rosa child. She wore a similar dress like the one Eliza was wearing, except that it was almost to her heels. Eliza peeked over Victoria's shoulder at the moment and looked at Jordan shamelessly talking with _ _Lucíana and Alfonso. They were actually intrigued by him much to her astonishment._

"Uh, yes I am. I like the atmosphere here, it's very lovely. I'm Mrs. Wendy Smith. Postgraduate student at the University of California Irvine. Actually, I'm not an actual postgrad student yet, I'm starting next semester."

_Victoria's smiled, shaking "Wendy's hand"._

"Funny you say that! All of my siblings graduated as Summa Cum Laude at UCI! What a coincidence that you're another student! I'm Victoria De La Rosa. I'm currently working to be an oral surgeon while my identical twin sister Elizabeth wants to be an orthopedic surgeon. Both branches are highly competitive but both of us are confident that we could achieve the possible. Now before you say anything, yes I am 21. Though, like my other siblings, I graduated high school and UCI early, giving us a head start amongst the others."

_Eliza smiled. It seemed that the De La Rosa children were definitely successful after all._

"What about your brothers? Don't you have three?" Eliza asked.

"Oh yeah. Kevin and Melvin are also identical twins and are just two years older than I. They're following my father's tradition and both of them are looking to become successful businessmen. Elizabeth and I are Kevin and Melvin's biggest rivals. Both of them always try to one-up us in anything that we do regardless of how big or small it is. If I go on a five-mile run, Melvin would do six. If Eliza would do 10 pull-ups, Kevin would do 11. So there's a constant back and forth challenge going on. Roman, who's probably doing some badass shit, would normally be our judge since he's the eldest out of the five of us. He would always try to be fair but would also give the most difficult challenges to complete."

_Eliza liked how much emphasis Victoria put while talking about her eldest brother Roman. She decided to ask Victoria more questions about Rainbow's potential operator._

"It seems that you admire your big brother Roman a lot. I bet he's like an idol to you."

"Haha, saying that he's an idol to us four would be an understatement. Roman's the leader of ours. He's our mentor, teacher, and meditator. He would always teach us new things we could barely comprehend even now. Roman taught Elizabeth and me different calculus levels when we were just six years old. It is almost impossible for a ten year to be proficient at all calculus levels but Roman managed to do it. He's very professional, caring, courageous, kind, and generous with his money. He donated $100 million to St. Jude's hospital and has turned the house our father bought for him into an orphanage. Although Roman has done a lot of good things that would be remembered throughout history, he has done some questionable things." Victoria turned to Lucíana. Eliza did the same.

_Lucíana inspected Jordan's hands while Alfonso went to go do something else._

"What has he done wrong?" Eliza questioned.

_Victoria finished the champagne and waved down one of the workers for another glass._

"Out of all the things he could be called out on, Roman treating Lucíana like absolute garbage is probably worse than murder in my eyes."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that Roman shouldn't be freaking cruel to Lucíana. My brother and Lucíana were the absolute best of friends when they were attending UCI and when they went to medical school together. She would be the one that would help Roman fit in with the rest of the medical students as they were much older than him and would question why someone very young like him was attending medical school. They were the number one and two students respectively, Roman being number one of course. Both of them would literally do almost everything together within the realm of possibility. Hell, Lucíana even taught Roman Portuguese for crying out loud! Lucíana has done for Roman that he couldn't do on his own and he couldn't do the same back! Like, I would, of course, choose Roman over Lucíana ten out of ten times but that doesn't give the right for Roman to think Lucíana should be treated like shit."

_Eliza looked at the half-empty champagne glass. What Victoria said to her sounded like something she experienced long ago. It wondered why Roman would suddenly turn his back on the person who helped him all the way to medical school._

"Sounds like Roman needs to apologize to Lucíana for treating her like crap then, he shouldn't get away with his abhorrent actions." Eliza suggested.

"That's the main problem Wendy! Roman would unequivocally not apologize to Lucíana no matter what. It breaks my heart whenever I would see Lucíana cry in the hospital because Roman would get angry at her over the phone. She even thinks that it's completely her fault for driving Roman to the point of dropping out of medical school. Dozens of phone calls to Roman, he would get angry and hang up almost immediately. He even got his battalion commander to call Lucy and get her to stop. I admire that woman though, she's very close to all of us like a big sister. My parents even treat her as if she's one of their own. Father tries to bribe Roman with billions just to let Lucíana explain herself. Can you believe it? Roman would turn down billions of dollars? As much as I love my brother, he's an asshole and needs to stop treating his bestfriend like she's from a third-world country." Victoria barely holding in her tears.

_"Wendy" rubbed Victoria's shoulder._

"That's barbaric of him. I honestly can't believe it. Someone like him should know better. How would he feel if he was in her position?"

_Victoria nodded in agreement, thankful that her makeup wasn't ruined._

"Since I'm the closest to Roman out of the five of us, Lucíana has been asking me at least once a week if Lucíana could be her Man of Honor at her wedding and has even given my other siblings an extra copy of Roman's invitation to her wedding just in case he ends up shredding his original one. Lucíana does seem happy around Alfonso a lot, but I can tell deep down that she'd rather be with Roman. It's very sad to see them not together. They would be a great couple and could potentially give me handsome nephews and beautiful nieces." Victoria laughed.

_Eliza chuckled at that. Any woman that ends up giving birth to Roman's children would be delighted. She tried figuring out why Roman has a grudge against Lucíana but can't figure out why._

"When's the last time you've seen your brother?"

"About last week. He took out his hooligans (sisters), our brothers, and our parents to sushi. I swear to God that's he's more addicted to sushi than anything else!"

"I bet that he goes to an all you can eat restaurant so he can eat as much as he could." Eliza joked.

_Victoria laughed. "Wendy" definitely guessed it right._

_Jordan walked over, carrying a bottle. He sat next to Eliza with a shit-eating grin on his face._

"I can't believe that Lucíana just willingly gave up the last bottle El, Wendy! I haven't applied it to the rest of my hand, but look."

_Jordan showed "Wendy" and Victoria his left hand. His left thumb looked slightly burnt now compared to the rest of his hand. It was astonishing to both women, more so on the redhead._

"That's how Lucíana is. She learned from Roman how to be kind to others." Victoria whispered to "Wendy."

_"Wendy" pinched Jordan's elbow to get him to greet Victoria. They exchanged names, Jordan giving his alias "John T. Smith." Definitely generic. Victoria didn't catch onto the fake names that were given to her as she was a little drunk. She waved Mr. and Mrs. Smith farewell, not wanting to take up much of their time._

_Eliza sighed in relief. She was glad. She glanced at where _ _Lucíana and Alfonso stood earlier. Neither was there, but she ended up finding _ _Lucíana talking with Victoria and Elizabeth. Alfonso was nowhere to be seen, probably somewhere flirting with other women without any shame._

"Jordan, please tell me that you know where Alfonso went?" Eliza stood up.

"Uh, yeah, I do!"

_Eliza rolled her eyes._

"Alfonso is by the poker tables. There's a large crowd surrounding him, so getting to him would be difficult. I would suggest you play poker with him. You'd get close to him, plus it would give you a better opportunity to seduce him. Even so, if you do seduce him, be careful not to get caught. The guards are on high alert, plus you do not want Victoria to catch you. Her doing so would spell bad news for all of us. Lucy would not take it kindly. All the guards are friendlies; they are not our enemies. Six will absolutely hate if there's even a drop of blood spilled. It would also give our newest operator a bad opinion about us." Jordan said.

_Eliza inclined, fixing her hair._

_She walked over to the crowded poker table. Thankfully there was someone that gave up their seat so Eliza could play. Eliza glanced over at Jordan, talking to Victoria again. Turning back to the poker table, Eliza cracked her knuckles._

"A beautiful girl like you plays poker? I must be dreaming." Alfonso said.

_Eliza smiled at Alfonso._

* * *

_Dokkaebi was looking at Eliza's poker game through one of the cameras on her tablet. She was looking out for her on top of her trying to gain access to the security systems in case things go south, and she has to wipe all video feeds. The cool breeze flung her pigtails gently from side to side. The beanie kept her head warm. Her MK14 rifle slung across her shoulder. Dokkaebi and Vigil went back to the armored truck that they "borrowed." It provided them great cover as none of the guards even bothered to check them._

"Have you found anything yet?" Vigil asked. His eyes were looking at a guard making out with a random female guest.

"No, not yet, Chul. Some of the files are encrypted. I'm running my software to unlock them, but I will admit that it's tough. DLR Industries provides the best cybersecurity systems in the world."

_Chul only nodded in response. He was a little surprised that he was being more talkative and opened around Grace. He usually confided in Craig and would normally talk a lot around him. Did it bother him? No. Would he be more open around other operators? Only around Grace._

"Got something!" Dokkaebi said.

"What do you got?" Vigil leaned.

_Dokkaebi handed her tablet over to Vigil to look. It was a zoomed-in picture of a group of men doing exchanging large crates. Most of the men in the photograph were from the White Masks terrorist organization. One of the people in the pic was Alfonso, the man Rainbow needed to capture before the event ends, and another man that looks like the actor Ryan Reynolds. She couldn't believe it at first, but she decided that it was best if she would save the photo and wait to get back to Hereford so that she can see who the person really is._

_She closed the photograph and continued to look._

* * *

"Wendy, do you want to go all-in or fold?" the dealer asked, "Wendy".

_Eliza looked at her cards. Ace of spades and queen of hearts. She then looked at Alfonso, who was smiling like an absolute creep at her. The four community cards were a jack of hearts, a ten of diamonds, ace of hearts, and a queen of clubs. She knew how volatile Alfonso could get, but she was confident in her skills to defend herself from an attack. She had also taken most of his poker chips, so "Wendy" already knew that Alfonso was agitated to the very least. Eliza was glad that she was good at poker (thanks to Jordan, Miles, and Jack)._

_She considered her options very meticulously. If she was to go all-in, there's a very high chance of her winning the rest of Alfonso's chips. He would definitely go berserk if he lost again. He truly hated losing and losing to a stranger he hated the most. If Eliza folded her cards, she would lose a chunk of her chips that she raised the round prior. And it would delay their objective even longer. There was one option she liked._

_She went all-in as well._

_Alfonso grunted, nearly slamming his fists in frustration. Eliza smirked when the dealer revealed the fifth community card, a queen of diamonds. Eliza smiled as all of the chips that were in the middle of the table were moved to her side. One of the workers assisted her in cashing the poker chips, which racked up to an equal value of $45,000 in United States Dollars._

_After giving the employee the routing number to her offshore bank account, Eliza walked back to where she last saw Jordan._

_He wasn't there when Eliza got to the spot. She looked for "husband," but there were no signs of the Texan man. Thinking that he's nearby, Eliza walked towards the ladies' restroom. She walked in as the only occupant. Looking at the mirror, she played with the expensive diamond necklace Jordan bought for her 33rd birthday. It shined beautifully on her as if she was the chosen one. The mirror gave a good view of her entire body. Eliza released the necklace. allowing it to be partially hidden by her cleavage. She moved her hands from the top of her chest all the way down to her thighs to fix her dress. For some eccentric reason, she didn't feel guilty as much now for nearly kissing Jordan._

_Eliza locked her fingers together below the waist and closed her eyes. She pictured herself at her ideal wedding. Her family, fellow Rainbow operators, and her boyfriend waiting for her at the end of the aisle with the rabbi._

_The only problem was that when she tried picturing her boyfriend as the groom, it turned out to be Jordan instead._

"Ash, are you alright?" Dokkaebi said through Ash's earpiece.

_A single tear flowed down her left cheek before she responded._

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"

"Your heart rate is at 115 beats a minute. I thought you were in an altercation or something."

Eliza grabbed a tissue and blew out the mucus in her nose "I'm fine Dokkaebi. Just thinking of stuff. I'm going to step outside for a moment. We still have another three hours before it's over."

_Eliza stepped outside the restroom and walked towards the staging area at the back of the building. She grabbed another glass of champagne on the way and gulped half of it down almost immediately. She passed by Victoria, waving each other as they went in opposite directions._

_The night sky looked beautiful. The lights shining from nearby buildings and stars lightyears away from Earth made her smile. Eliza leaned over the guardrail as she looked on the few vehicles that passed by at a distance._

_She sensed something was wrong, she was right. Eliza went face-first onto the pavement, her necklace strenuously pulled from her. The necklace falling to the floor as Alfonso kicked Eliza's stomach causing her to recoil in agony. She tried getting up but Alfonso picked her up and slammed her against the portable toilet. She tried punching Alfonso but he was simply much stronger than she was._

"You stupid fucking bitch! You embarrassed me in front of everyone!"

_Alfonso knocked Eliza to the ground once more. Her cheeks were bruised and she had a small cut on her left eyebrow that was slowly leaking blood. She stumbled back as her body started to ache badly from the damage she took._

"You think you could've deceived me so easily, Mrs. Wendy Smith? Or should I say, Eliza Cohen? Did you really think that I wasn't aware of Rainbow's attempt to abduct me? I've been in this game longer than you have! I should kill you right now and nobody would know who did it! But then again, what would be the fun in letting you die? I'm going to keep you alive and force you to watch your fellow operators burn!"

_Eliza weakly raised her hands in what it would be considered a futile attempt. Alfonso grabbed her feet and attempted to drag her to a secluded corner but Jordan walked out in the nick of time. He landed a left jab on Alfonso and shot in for a high crotch takedown. The bad guy threw a couple of punches but the adrenaline built up from the anger within the Marine was more than enough to deter all attacks. Jordan slammed him into the portable toilet, knocking all of the disgusting waste out of the container._

_Both men were quick to their feet but Jordan beat Alfonso to the punch. He jumped on Alfonso's back and applied a rear-naked choke. He tried removing him off his back but the grip around his neck was too strong. He dropped down to one knee as Jordan used all of his strength to put him to sleep. Eliza, not wanting to give up just yet, rose to her feet and delivered a nasty roundhouse kick to Alfonso's jaw, putting him unconscious and potentially breaking his jaw._

_Jordan released Alfonso from the choke and dusted himself. He looked at the comatose man and sighed._

"Are you alright Eliza?" Jordan asked, hugging her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just caught off guard. For a guy like him, he could actually hit quite hard."

_Jordan gently cupped Eliza's cheek to avoid inflicting any unnecessary pain and began treating the cut on her eyebrow. It wasn't deep enough that required stitches but it was still something he looked at._

"You do know that you look like shit right?" Jordan joked.

"Of course silly. At least I still look pretty compared to you." Eliza joked back.

_An armored truck pulled up next to the FBI operators. Vigil stepped out, tying up Alfonso and threw him in the back while Dokkaebi opened the drivers' seat. Eliza and Jordan stepped into the truck as Dokkaebi drove off._

_Just a couple of meters away from where the fight occurred, _ _José stood on top of the roof in a kneeling position. He removed his hoodie and adjusted his bloody gauntlets as the Rainbow operators drove away. He could've easily alerted his guards and warn them but where would be the fun in that? Besides, they're fighting for the same cause but with different methods. His eyes turned yellow as he looked at the truck. Four blue bodies and one red. He smiled as his eyes turned back to normal. He cracked his knuckles as he jumped off the high roof._

_A Leap of Faith perhaps?_


	3. Chapter 3: Minutes to Midnight

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the Operators or Deputy Director Six. I only own the OC.**

**Again, I want to thank everyone for the continued support, and I appreciate the feedback on the last two chapters. I can't say this enough, but I am grateful for all of you, and you all are the reason why I rewrote this story entirely because I want to make it better for all of you. It is January 1 of 2020 as I type this. Every useful review, every constructive criticism, and everything else in between, I appreciate it all. It means so much to me that you that I have not met in person took your time out of your day to read my story.**

**Jon Jones is my favorite UFC fighter currently active. .**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Minutes to Midnight:**

_ **Present Time.** _

_ **September 13, 2017.** _

_ **Rainbow HQ, Herefordshire, England.** _

_ **10:00 hours.** _

_It was a rainy day at Rainbow HQ. There, all of Rainbow operators resided in their rooms. They varied in size, but Director Six made sure to accommodate everything to ensure that her operators were comfortable in their new environment. Rainbow HQ was also home to the most advanced training facility in the world that would undoubtedly make the top athletes in the world extremely jealous. The organization has its indoor track and field, a gymnasium that can fit 200 people, a boxing ring, a UFC Octagon, a large Olympic pool, and anything else that anyone could imagine that would make an athlete reach his or her peak physical condition. There was also an indoor firing range for small-arms weapons and an outdoor firing range for "light weapons."_

_The large recreation room, also known as the "Game Room," was the central place where Rainbow operators lounge on their free time. It was outfitted with what you would find in a typical rec room. Still, Rainbow's game room also contained a pool table, foosball, several arcade games, two PC gaming stations for the hardcore gamers of Rainbow, a poker table, and a bed for some odd reason. On an average day, about twelve to sixteen operators filled the room. Everything was modernized due to the funding Rainbow received from countries that funded the organization._

_Rainbow also had its airfield for its small fleet of aircraft. Select U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force members served as the aircrew. They were responsible for maintaining, arming, cleaning, and repairing aircraft. Rainbow's aircraft fleet consisted of two C-5 Super Galaxy cargo planes, eight (four active and four reserved) R-60 Super Blackhawk helicopters, four MQ-1C Gray Eagles, and Director Six's favorite, a Bombardier Global 7500 private jet. Rainbow's armory was located inside the large hangar as well. Each operator had their own personal "cage," which held their firearms, equipment, and gadgets. It looked charming; it did. Below the hangar was where the spare and unused stuff was stored._

_Below the main building was "the basement." It had multiple holding cells where Rainbow's high-value targets were thrown into and to be held indefinitely. The interrogation room was located in the basement, as well. On the other side of the interrogation room was a place where the Rainbow operators watch the HVT through a one-way mirror along with two cameras to record._

_Currently, Seamus was "talking" to Alfonso._

"Our Brazilian girl is missing out on the fun." Eliza said.

"Yeah, she is. It's a good thing, though. She and the new guy would fight, no doubt." Jordan responded.

"Where is the new guy anyway? I thought he arrived last night?" Eliza scratched her head.

"He's probably talking to Harry at the moment. Poor dude, Harry asks the most random questions known to man."

"Tell me about it."

_Jordan and Eliza watch Seamus slap Alfonso and slam his head down onto the table. It was clear that the man being questioned wasn't giving out any answers. So, pain was the price to pay._

"By the way, how are you holding up? I'm sure Gustave told you to rest for a couple of days, yet here you are."

"Doc' definitely told me to take it easy, but do you think I'd want to miss out on this Jordan? Come on; I want to see Alfonso get his ass beaten badly! And we still haven't gotten his real name yet, quite unfortunate." Eliza winced.

_He patted her shoulder for comfort._

"You should hang out with your boyfriend, Eliza. I'm sure that he was jealous that we got to go to a very big event together." Jordan joked.

"I'd rather not Jordan, not right now."

"Why not. You two get along quite well, and I sometimes walk into your room, giving him a blowjob!" He grinned

_Eliza threw her hat at Jordan, clearly not amused by his usual antics. He chuckled as she shook his head._

* * *

** _One hour later_ **

** _Conference room_ **

** _11:00 hours._ **

_All Rainbow operators who were present were gathered within the conference room to meet their new brother in arms. The ones that weren't present were either on missions or took leave. They were all talking about various topics amongst one another. Some were dressed in their civilian attire, and others were in their operative uniforms, no gear. Director Six walked into the room, which silenced everyone at an instant. Her presence alone commanded everyone to stop what they're doing and pay attention to the boss lady._

"Goodmorning, everyone."

_The operators responded with the same greeting._

"Before I introduce our new operator, I want to say a couple of things. First, I want to personally thank operators Cohen, Trace, Nam, and Hwa for their efforts in capturing Alfonso Sanchez. As everyone may know, Alfonso was one of the lieutenants for the White Masks. He was in charge of their finances and chemical distribution. By taking him off the map, we have dealt a huge blow to the terrorist organization. We, however, still can't find Alfonso's real name, but operators Nam, Castellano, and Bosak are working on it. Despite capturing one of the White Masks' most valuable assets, it came at the cost of Cohen receiving multiple cuts and bruises. Nonetheless, I am glad that she is still able to join us today."

_All of the operators turned to Eliza and clapped for her. Indeed an amazing woman and an excellent example of leadership. She was tough, fierce, and fair — an inspiration to many within Rainbow._

"Another thing, we have a possible identification of the man responsible for the White Masks organization. No name yet."

_At the press of a button, small holographic projections of INTERPOL's criminal database. Thousands of pictures and personal information flew by their faces in a matter of seconds. Red dots that appeared on the global map indicated when and where the last time the criminal was last seen. The database then narrowed down the search to just a couple of dozen, then only one._

_The picture of the man in question appeared right in front of them. Some mistaken him to be the actor Ryan Reynolds due to them looking the same. There was no name for the White Masks leader as he has managed to evade putting his name out to the public to know. No list of his location, height, weight, date of birth, or current place of residence, just an image._

"An undercover agent of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency has reported this individual to be the White Masks leader after infiltrating the organization for a month. The agent has mentioned in the report that the leader goes by Hal. Yes, Hal, as in the Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Since none of his subordinates don't know his real name, they call him Hal. The residents of Redmond, Oregon has also reported sightings of Hal, but neither the Redmond Police Department, the FBI, the CIA, or INTERPOL can confirm or deny the reports. All in all, Hal is our guy, and he's our number one target for the foreseeable future unless something happens to him. One last thing before I let Harry take over, I want to announce to everyone that everyone will be getting a permanent 15% raise on their pay. All of you deserve it for the effort that you put in for this organization, and I can't be thankful enough. I still except the same work ethics from all of you, though."

_All of the operators clapped and patted each others' shoulders._

_Eliza had an odd feeling about this "Hal" person Director Six was talking about._

"I would like to call Harry to the podium, please."

_Director Six stepped down as she exchanged nods with her assistant and advisor. Unlike Six, who was always dressed professionally, Harry dressed casually as the rest of the Rainbow operators._

"Hello everyone, and thank you, Director Six, for allowing me to do this. As many of you are aware, Six and I have searched the world for Rainbow's newest operator. Countless interviews with potential candidates narrowed it to just one operator. He is an outstanding operator that hails from the Marine Corps' MARSOC. He also served a couple of years with Force Recon as well. Please welcome Roman Y. De La Rosa."

_Harry and Director Six stepped out of the conference room to let the operators talk freely._

_All of the operators expected Roman to walk out first. Instead, his German Shepherd, Thor, was the first to walk out. Everyone was marveled at the sight of such a handsome dog. His massive size caught everyone off guard as Thor was way above the average height for his breed. The good boy walked around and greeted every operator individually. His handler came out next._

_Roman stepped into the room as everyone clapped and greeted him. His attire consisted of a plain black shirt, basketball shorts, and sandals. His full sleeve tattoos were on full display. Hair combed back and a clean shave, that's him alright._

"Hello, everyone. I'm not sure if any of you know me or not, but I'll introduce myself. I'm Captain De La Rosa of the United States Marines Corps. I come from the 1st Marine Raider Battalion as the team commander, K9 handler, and translator of Joker Team. Prior to becoming a Marine Raider, I was a part of the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion as a Scout Sniper, Intelligence Specialist, and translator. I have seen extensive action and I was involved in the repelling force during the invasion of Los Angeles. After that, I was subsequently deployed across the Pacific Ocean theater during the Third World War."

_Meghan raised her hand, a shit-eating grin on her face. He stopped mid-speech and allowed her to ask a question._

"Where on your body were you shot?" She asked.

_Roman looked at her in curiosity, knowing why she asked such a question._

"I was shot in between my umbilicus and my hip. It was painful, but the bullet went through my body, so it was easier for the docs to patch me up."

_Meghan bit her lip. He was smart to avoid what she wanted him to do._

"Anyways, the two Marines and I were successful in our tryout, and after long training sessions, we became Marine Raiders. I was still a Scout Sniper for a short while before I met Thor. This good boy was bred from two genetically enhanced German Shepherds that were a part of a fucked up experiment. I also own a King Cobra named Osiris. As Thor grew up at an exponential rate, I decided to give up being a Scout Sniper and become a K-9 handler instead. The rest is history."

_Roman paused for a moment to see if anyone had questions. Sure enough, over half the operators that were present raised their hands to ask the fabled Marine a question. He stepped down from the podium and sat on the chair, facing the other operators._

"You." Roman pointed at Jordan.

"I'm Jordan Trace; I also go by Thermite. I only have one question as what you said earlier made me a little curious? You said that you're a Captain, but you also mentioned that you were a Lance Corporal. So what happened in between?"

_Roman eyed Meghan again for a moment. She gave him the middle finger and seductively bit her lip. He sighed as he turned back to Jordan._

"When I reached the rank of sergeant, I was recommended by my battalion commander and fellow senior officers that I should go to OCS. And since I already had my bachelor's degree, it made my decision a lot easier. I attended OCS, ran into my Senior Drill Instructor, who was my Sergeant Instructor. Out of all the candidates, I ended up as the top graduate, and due to the nature of being a Marine Raider, I was commissioned as a captain instead as a second lieutenant."

"Ahh, alright. Well, is it okay if I could ask just one more question?"

"Of course you can."

"Thank you. What's your gadget? You haven't talked about it yet."

_Roman lifted Thor in his arms and patted his head, putting him to the ground after._

"Thor's my gadget if that makes sense. My original gadget, well, gadgets, were going to be two blades that were to be hidden all times under my long sleeves. As much as I liked them, I find a lot more utility in Thor, and he's a lot more useful. I don't want to sound rude or disrespectful, but I don't want to explain Thor's capabilities right now. I'd rather do a live demonstration later on in the day if that's alright."

_Eliza looked at Roman for a moment. He was well-spoken, polite, and charming. Maybe what his sister told her might be something that only happens rarely. She then turned to Jordan, who was a little too excited than necessary. She guessed that he finally had someone who he'd be willingly sharing his war stories with._

_Roman looked around the room again. A lot of hands still raised. He then spotted someone sitting in the back who just came in to sit with Meghan._

"Hey, Craig! How on God's given Earth that someone like you was eligible to join Rainbow."

_The bearded man looked raised his head towards where he heard his name. He saw Roman and was delighted to see him. They shared a brotherly hug._

"Holy shit, man! The last time I saw you, you were a Sergeant, and now you're a damn fuckin' Captain! I'm proud of you, dude. You're a hard and smart individual, and you deserve everything you had earned."

_Roman chuckled. He saw a couple of familiar faces that he knew. Zofia, Ela, Craig, Meghan, Sébastien, Miles, Grace, Chul were the operators that Roman had a history with. He met them through either joint training exercises or joint operations sanctioned by NATO. He felt comfortable in his new home and was glad that Thor managed to fit in as well. So far, all of them were welcoming._

_The next thing on the Marine's list was to attend Jack's one-on-two meeting along with Harry._

* * *

** _Private meeting room._ **

_Roman sat in the meeting room with Thor. He was eating sushi as he waited for Jack and Harry. He didn't know why such a meeting was needed since they already had documents of his history in the Marine Corps. He was thinking that they were going to ask the same questions to ensure that whatever they had on file matched up to his words._

_So far, Roman has enjoyed his time with Rainbow. He was given an extensive tour of Rainbow HQ by Meghan. Besides the abrupt stops and constant teasing, the tour was excellent, and he could remember how to get to each place on his own now. He also received his armory where all of his firearms and most of his gear were stored in. Roman was astonished at how quick Director Six and Harry adhered to his requests._

_There were two things that Roman liked the most_

"Thor, can I ask you something?" Roman said.

_The dog stopped chewing his toy and looked at his companion._

"You can understand me, right?"

_Thor nodded."_

"Then tell me who's a good boy?"

_Thor's ears perked up as he barked twice, indicating that he was the good boy in question. He jumped up and down in delight. Roman pulled out a dog treat in his pocket and handed it to the good boy._

_Jack and Harry entered the room a few moments later. Thor, on instinct, sniffed both men in case if they had any drugs or other kinds of contraband on them. Neither had any, but Thor alerted Roman that a strong scent was coming off of Jack. Roman called Thor off the two men and come back to him. Both men then sat across the Marine._

"Does Thor do this all the time? If he does, then I think it's a great thing." Harry asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, he always does. It helps him to stay alert at all times, and it raises his other senses."

_Roman looked at Jack and Harry as they organized his transcripts from the schools he attended, chat logs, pictures, letters of recommendation, and everything else they had on him. He could tell that the men in front of him were very eager to know more from him. It would make him happy nonetheless. He didn't mind at all sharing his stories about the conflicts he was in._

"Alright, Mr. Genius. I'm going to guess that you already know why we are here. Before I continue, how do you want to be addressed? Almost everyone here goes on a first-name basis unless on a mission." Jack asked.

"I think I would appreciate it if I was to be addressed by my first name. During my tenure in Force Recon and MARSOC, I went by my ranks and sir so that a change would be delightful."

"Alright, to start, tell us about Lucíana?"

"What about her?" Roman stretched his feet.

"Wasn't Lucíana your best friend?"

"She used to be but I don't talk to her anymore. And if I do, I keep it really brief and concise."

"How did you meet her?" Jack pushed the envelope.

"Do I have the option to skip this question?"

Harry adjusted his glasses "Of course you do have the option to skip any question you do not like."

_Roman sighed, taking another sushi roll._

"I met Lucy during my Freshman year at UCI. She's around five or six years older than I am. We ended up having a couple of classes together for the first semester and we used to hang out a lot during our spare time, mainly to study and whatnot. Lucy has also helped me fit in better since almost all of the students were outside my age group just like in high school. Throughout my four years at UCI, she has helped me become a better person, talk and hold conversations with fellow students that I have nearly nothing in common with, she basically helped me become more social and more comfortable. In return, I would also be her tutor since on paper, I was more intelligent than her. We ended up as the number one and two students in our graduating class. I will confess that Lucíana was the first lady I had a crush on. She's very beautiful and she still is to this day."

_Jack handed Roman a photograph of himself and _ _Lucíana together at their graduation. He looked at it for a brief moment before handing it back to the FBI agent._

"Anyways, Lucy and I attended medical school together for three years before I decided to drop out. I gave no implications to her as to why I decided to drop out but my interest in becoming a doctor like my mother declined over the years. Needless to say, she got angry at me and slapped me in front of our families at a party we attended. Yes, I was embarrassed but it is what it is."

"Would Lucy-"

"I don't want to be mean but it's Lucíana for you, Harry."

"My apologies Roman, I didn't want to offend you in any way."

"No worries Harry, it's actually for your benefit. She doesn't let anyone call her Lucy except for me, not even her ex-boyfriends."

"Would you say that Lucíana had anything to do with your reason to not continue with medical school?" Jack asked.

_Roman became a little unsettled. She was the reason why he decided to not to complete medical school. Though, Roman wasn't going to tell everyone the exact reason why. Not yet, not ever._

"Well, let's just say that there has to be an end to everything. Unfortunately, my friendship with Lucy ended."

_Jack nodded as he wrote down Roman's answers._

"Tell us what was your thought process when you ultimately decided to enlist with the Marine Corps instead of the other military branches?" Jack said.

"Quite frankly, it was an easy choice for me. My family, med school classmates, and everyone else who knew me was astonished that I decided to enlist instead of completing medical school. While there were challenges when I attended, I became bored as time passed by and I wanted a new challenge instead. I wanted to test myself and see how far I can push myself to the absolute limits. My parents, not surprisingly, were angry and did everything they could in their power to keep me away from the recruiters. Hell, my father offered me $50 million and a modern style mansion for my 18th birthday. The offer was tempting no doubt, but I still refused to continue on with medical school. It even got worse when I revealed that I wanted to enlist instead of receiving a commission. I enlisted because I wanted to learn how to be an efficient leader from the ground up. The Navy and Air Force from every office in Orange County literally called me, on average, once a day to see if I wanted to join their branch instead of the Marine Corps. Both offered me biochemist contracts but those kinds of jobs aren't really interesting to me. I wanted a fierce and rough challenge and infantry was the number one choice for me. When my parents came around and supported my decision to join the military, my mother vehemently wanted me to enlist with the Navy."

"Have you at least considered the Navy?"

"Oh yeah. The SEALs piqued my interest a lot when I was a kid and their training regime is pretty grueling but badass at the same time. The Navy is cool in their own ways but the history of the Marine Corps just drew all of my attention away. My father was more supportive and encouraged me to do whatever I so pleased. So when I told them that I wanted to become a Scout Sniper and join Force Recon, it caused a huge shitstorm and a massive argument between my parents broke out right in front of me. My father was encouraging while my mother went ballistic. Needless to say that I ended up having both sign the contract with my recruiter. Now that I think of it, I may have played a role in their divorce. I honestly don't care because my father deserves to be someone who would treat him better and be supportive. My mother wrote to me through the mail that she wasn't going to attend my graduation." Roman picked up Thor and laid him across his lap.

"Why wasn't your mother supportive of you joining the Marines?" Jack asked.

"I honestly do not know why. I guess that she wanted me to enlist with the Navy because she was in the Navy for sixteen years and retired as a Master Chief. There wasn't anything that the Navy had to offer that interested me besides the SEALs. I was also shocked that she did show up to my graduation despite the letter stating that she wasn't going to show up. I mean, she's a woman of her word and usually keeps it."

"You obviously chose to enlist in the Marine Corps to better yourself. Do you mind telling just a bit of boot camp?" Harry asked.

_Roman grinned. He finally got the chance to explain his boot camp stories in full detail._

"Let's start on my first night at MCRD San Diego. It was literally fucking hell on Earth for thirteen weeks straight. One week of receiving phase and twelve weeks of just non-stop training. During the first week, all I did was processing, got my head shaved, got my uniforms and gear. There wasn't much training besides the IST. The IST is basically a watered-down version of the Marine Corps PFT and the IST was used to ensure newly arrived recruits are ready for the twelve weeks of training. 66 pull-ups, 157 crunches, and slightly under 9 minutes for the mile and a half run. I was already physically fit by the time I got to MCRD due to being raised around an abundant amount of family members that served in the military. When I met the drill instructors that would be beside me and the rest of my platoon for the rest of my tenure in boot camp, I swear I have been never more scared in my life than that day."

"Why were you scared?" Jack asked.

"I stand around 6'3 so I'm hardly around people that are taller than I am. I was terrified when I met my Senior Drill Instructor for the first time. Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Jones. African-American, he stood exactly four inches than me and was slightly bulkier than I am at the time. Him being black or taller than I am wasn't even the reason why I and all of the other recruits were in fear for twelve months. His presence and the way how he talks were the reasons why. Out of the twelve weeks of training, I have only seen Staff Sergeant Jones yell twice."

_Roman then went on to talk about how Staff Sergeant Jones "tortured" and punished the recruits without yelling. He went on to explain how he met Staff Sergeant Stephen Miller and Sergeant Waller in boot camp. It was a lot more mentally challenging than physically by all means. He has mentioned that there were times where he wanted to quit and get sent back home due to all the stress in his brain._

_When Jack asked him about his favorite boot camp moment, Roman told him that when he got a 350 on the rifle qualification after getting a 305 on it, the minimum for "Expert". He begged his Senior Drill Instructor and the ranger master to let him try again though._

_When Jack and Harry got to questions about his time in Force Recon, it made the Marine a little hesitant. He got written up for the first time for misconduct in the Basic Reconnaissance Course after getting into an altercation with another Marine from a different training platoon. However, the other Marine started the incident, which resulted in him receiving a bloody nose, a broken forearm and getting dropped from the course and getting assigned to another unit while Roman had his "pay" slashed in half and all of his saved leave days taken away from him._

_Harry adjusted his glasses._

"Roman, I know that you're an honest man but I need you to be very transparent with me. What were you doing and what happened before and after the nukes dropped?

_It was one of those questions that Roman was very hesitant in answering._

"I was at Camp Pendleton relaxing with Miller, Waller, and a couple of other Force Recon Marines from different platoons. We were just watching the nine-eleven memorial on the television. When the bomb dropped on New York City, all I saw on the screen was a bright flash of white light. The speakers blasted louder than they normally should. I thought the broadcast channel was showing a movie clip but no, it wasn't. I obviously was not in New York City when it happened but I can vividly remember the screams I heard from the children. I can still picture cars being flipped over and striking anyone that was running away from the blast. Every single Marine that was watching became silent as the newscaster began to shout expletives. The entire city was wiped off the face of planet Earth. It shook the entire world down to the very core. The first nuke wasn't the end. Just a few minutes after the first explosion, the second one obliterated Washington D.C. The capital city of the United States burned and everyone that survived died from nuclear radiation. What happened after that was worse. Hillary Clinton was immediately sworn in as the new president and her first order was to drop two of our own hydrogen bombs on St. Petersburg and Moscow. I nearly bit my left index finger off as I watched the entire situation unfold. Before all of this even happened, the entire Pacific Fleet was drawn out from the home ports into the Solomon Islands."

"What was your reaction when Los Angeles was invaded by the Coalition Force?"

"To be honest, that's the only thing I do not remember at all. I'm not even sure I even reacted. I know that I was silent and barely spoke but I knew that the Marines beside me were livid. There was complete radio silence as my junior and senior NCOs and officers tried getting into contact with NORAD, the Pacific Fleet, or with whoever survived inside the Pentagon. The cyberattack on our communication systems caught us off guard as the invasion force successfully landed its troops on the beaches of Los Angeles. Whatever happened, it happened. A few airstrikes then stuck Camp Pendleton as the First Marine Division prepared to assist the California National Guard and help deter and repel the Coalition Force. A few dozen Marines were either killed or maimed from the airstrikes. It was the first time in my life ever and to this very day, was the only time I did not know what to do even when I was reminded what to do. I was too shaken, I was almost broken mentally. I felt absolutely defeated despite not being in the fight just yet. I was legitimately frightened. There were multiple things that went through my mind as I wandered around the room aimlessly with the Marines scrambling to get their rifles and gear on.

_Both Jack and Harry noticed Roman's tone of voice was starting to quiver. The FBI operator patted Roman's shoulder to tell him that everything was alright. Both of them told him that it was absolutely okay if he didn't want to continue but the Marine assured them that he was going to continue and told them that it was better to let his emotions out instead of bottling them inside and harm his mental fortitude._

"Tears flowed down my face as I took my rifles off their racks. I had never laced up my boots so fast in my life. When my platoon stepped into the Osprey, we were told that our mission was to take out the enemy batteries that were set up in Bel Air neighborhood. Though, we never got to our objective on time as our transport craft was taking heavy hits from the anti-aircraft gun from the ground. The squad I was assigned to was forced to parachute out and only myself, Miller, and Waller landed together as the rest were scattered all over the place. The three of us landed inside Universal Studios Hollywood. It was honestly ironic that I somehow ran into Lucy, her then-fiancé, and her friends." Roman laughed at the end.

_Jack and Harry laughed as well._

"Was that the last time you have seen her?"

"Correct and the first thing she did when she saw me remove my parachute was slap me in front of everyone. I will admit that I was embarrassed and got exasperated but I had a mission to do and needed to complete the objective. Needless to say that the mission was delayed even further as the amusement park started to get bombarded with barrages from the artillery and airstrikes. A couple of Iranian and Iraqi troops parachuted. There were a couple of LAPD officers that assisted us in repelling the attack but hundreds of civilians were slaughtered right in front of our eyes. Myself, Miller, and Waller managed to kill a few dozen of them but the artillery barrage was starting to get overwhelming and I was forced to make the tough decision of taking as many civilians as we could realistically protect without compromising the main objective. Twenty-seven civilians were the number but it, unfortunately, was cut down to just seven. Lucy, her lover, her two friends, and two little kids who watched their parents get blown up in their faces. I wished I could've done more but I was faced with the fact that I was only human and can only do so much! I watched twenty civilians die in front of me because of the fucking mission!"

_Roman slammed his fist down and threw his plate of sushi across the room. the glass plate shattered on impact and mixed with the ruined pieces of food. He dropped down to the floor as he broke down in tears. Thor, Jack, and Harry comforted him once more. They allowed him to cry. They allowed him to let his emotions out once more. Both of them tried their best to make Roman feel better._

"Hey, it's going to be alright. I think it's best if we continue this conversation at another time if that's okay with you."

"No, not yet."

_Roman recovered, wiped the tears away as Thor licked his face to comfort him. Thor then walked towards the broken plate and ate the sushi that was spread across the floor._

_Roman continued._

"We tried getting into contact with our command but Miller's radio was broken. There was an objective that we still had to complete but we also had civilians to protect at all costs. Since I was the highest-ranking Marine out of the three of us, I was left with an ultimatum. I either had to abandon the civilians to proceed with our mission but leave them unprotected from hostile forces or sit on our asses in hopes of an evac. After a couple of hours of walking slowly to avoid detection, ransacking a 7-11 for food, water, and utilities, we gave them our sidearms and the magazines and told them to wait for several hours. Needless to say, I made Lucy cry again and didn't see until were sent to the Rose Bowl Stadium."

"Did you manage to complete your objective?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Miller, Waller, and I are United States Marines. Us three earned Navy Crosses on top of Purple Hearts as well. All of the Marines that defended the city earned Navy Crosses."

Jack stepped in "You mentioned the Rose Bowl Stadium. What happened there?"

"The 1st Marine Division bought enough time for the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S Army and California National Guard to assist in the battle. It was a fucking bloodbath that tested the true strength of the United States Marine Corps. Over 5,000 Marines died to protect the city of Angels. Miller, Waller, and I were then medivac'ed after destroying the enemy battery positions. We were sent to the Rose Bowl Stadium. The stadium was used to hold injured Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and civilians that were injured. Dozens of doctors, corpsmen, and medics treated the wounded. It was also used as a staging area for the reinforcements as well. I was, ironically, placed into the same tent where I ran into my mother treating Lucy's wounds. I swear on everything, I have never seen two women cry before in my life. There were literally enough tears to fill two milk gallons. Anyways, that was the last time I have seen or talked to Lucy. Something inside me has been telling me to not respond to her text or calls. She sent me an invitation to her wedding but there wasn't a specified date for the ceremony and reception so I'm guessing that she wants to ensure that I attend before she sets the date."

"Are you going?" Harry inquired.

"To be frank, I do not think so. Why would I attend the wedding of someone who I haven't seen in six years? On top of that, she's getting married to some wannabe Tony Stark looking-dude. Lucy and I are not best friends anymore and I do not care."

_Harry looked down in disappointment. He came to the conclusion that there was still a lot of resentment on Roman's part. He couldn't really understand why he would hate Lucíana so much. When he interviewed her in Los Angeles, she had nothing but praise for Roman and even credited him for saving her life. There were a lot of compliments about Roman that came straight from her, but nothing from the man sitting across him. Harry knew that _ _Lucíana was a great lady and maybe could've been a great couple._

_Probably in an alternate world._

_The three men agreed to skip ahead with some of the questions as Roman wasn't comfortable yet to talk about the Third World War. Some of the stuff during his tenure in MARSOC was top secret and Director Six was the only one in Rainbow that had the clearance to do so._

"Is it true that two CIA agents from the Special Operations Group tried recruiting you?"

"Absolutely true but I knew they were involved in some shady shit just by the ways they tried recruiting me. They weren't convincing with their words and didn't offer any benefits that I loved. Also, my free-time would more than likely be super limited. I didn't like either of them at all but they were very persistent. So Joker Team had to force them away. A couple of months later, one of the two agents returned. This time, there was nothing we couldn't do as he attached to Joker Team as our "handler" and that we had to "Obey" his commands. What did we do? I had Joker Team throw him a very nice blanket party. I'm not sure why he left immediately the next day. Thor thought all of the agent's shoes were his toys."

_Jack and Harry nodded in approval. That's what they liked to hear. If Director Six was allowed to recruit all of Joker Team, Harry would recommend it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, there were limitations and restrictions. Rainbow was forced to pick one out of the eight members of Joker Team, and Roman was the chosen one._

_Harry looked at his watch. There was still enough time but he believed that the interview was getting too long and it may cause Roman to not open up more._

"As much as I want to hear more about you Roman, I do believe that this interview is getting too long. If it's okay with you, can I ask you one more question before this meeting ends?"

"Of course Harry. I'm starting to get hungry again anyways." Roman responded.

"Please tell us what happened at Poseidon's Bar in San Diego? What happened with you personally doesn't really matter to us, we just want to hear your side of the story, that's all."

"Well, which story do you want to hear?"

* * *

_ **Incident #5.** _

_ **April 14, 2017.** _

_ **Poseidon's Bar, San Diego, California.** _

_ **20:30 hours.** _

_Poseidon's Bar (veteran-owned) was the central hub for many Sailors and Marines when they are off-duty and ready to enjoy the weekend. The 3,000 square feet saloon was suited to fit dozens of people but it seems that it is reaching its capacity. Even the Army and Air Force recruiters from nearby recruiting stations came by after office hours as they too enjoyed the atmosphere despite the majority being squids and jarheads. Civilians were also permitted, evident by service members bringing their spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, or affair partner. All types of alcohol were served obviously. Food was spectacular for an establishment that mainly focuses on alcohol and entertainment. There was a UFC-sized Octagon in the middle of the bar._

_Joker Team was currently sitting at a table along with a couple of other Marines from other teams. They were celebrating Joseph Waller and his husband's birthday together. It was a fun time. He was one of the most respected operators within the special operating forces community so celebrating another year to his life was important. They exchanged stories, including the adversities Waller had to face throughout his life prior to joining MARSOC. He stood at 5'5, black, and gay. Despite all of that, he managed to push through and end up where he's at. He's celebrating one of the most important days of his life with the people who accepted him for who he is. He became one of them, a Marine Raider._

"Hey Captain, I think you should slow down a bit. There's a lot of food to eat but it seems you're just swallowing your food whole." Waller said.

_Roman looked at his Marine as he continued to eat his food. It was true, there were various types of food that he could still it. Though, his very high metabolism forces him to eat more than the average man does. It was a good thing that he could afford what he was eating. After all, it was his idea to pay for Waller's birthday celebration. One for one and one for all._

"Yeah, I should. Though it's your birthday and there's a lot of food. So, I will eat as much as I can before I have to eat again in two hours."

_He continued to annihilate his food. Despite the large group of Tier-1 operators, it was Thor that drew most of the attention. Men, women, and even the other animals tried playing with the good boy._

_Looking around the table, Roman examined Waller. He was more lively compared when they first met in Force Recon. He was more open and honest with himself and was not afraid to speak his mind. It also helped when Miller was also around. The three of them were extremely close to one another as they were the ones that started the most infamous special operations team in the world._

_The three Marines met through the Basic Reconnaissance Course. Despite it being much easier than MART as some Recon Marines would claim, it was challenging since Roman was required to keep Miller and Waller in check in case either of them would do something stupid that would compromise their chances of passing the grueling course. Even then, Waller was constantly a target for the instructors as he was the only homosexual Marine that was part of the class. He thought about dropping but Roman and Miller helped him push through and they managed to pass BRC together._

_That was the first ingredient in bringing Joker Team to life._

_They separated after due to them having to attend different courses and schools. Roman went to Scout Sniper school, Miller went to Comms School, and Waller went to go to JTAC things. Funny, they reconnected a few months later as they were stationed in the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion and the Battle of Los Angeles only brought them closer, they became brothers. It was something many Marines and service members from other branches admired. They operated together as one unit and accounted for almost 20% of Force Recon's total operations during World War III._

_Despite their acts of valor and the tremendous support they received from fellow Marines, Roman and Miller continued to receive unwarranted backlash due to having a gay Marine on Force Recon. It didn't bother any of the three. Instead, they continued to train, operate, and hang out together along with Force Recon Marines that accepted Waller and were supportive of him as well. Even when they tried out for MARSOC, they were together as one. As Marine Raiders, Roman, Miller, and Waller performed the most dangerous operations that USSOCOM had to offer. Though, their fun had to take a break as Roman was shipped to Quantico._

_When Roman came back to Camp Pendleton after graduating at the top of his class from OCS, he was given the opportunity to lead his own Marine Special Operations Team. Although the idea interested him greatly, he very much preferred to work with people who he knows he could work with. After convincing top brass for days on end, he got them to agree to allow him to pick out the Marine Raiders on the condition that they had to be the best that the Marine Corps and Navy had to offer. It wasn't hard for him as he managed to lure Miller and Waller away from the old teams and join his._

_Recruiting the next five was going to be very tough and lengthy. Roman requested to interview several Marines from other MARSOC and Force Recon teams. For obvious reasons, the officers denied his request to interview potential operators. Even when he offered to pay them just to talk to the operators, the only answer he got was no. It made him a little frustrated needless to say. The officers' refusal to let Roman interview their men got to the point where he got desperate and asked his chain of command to interview Army and Air Force guys._

_No, they said no as well._

_Miller and Waller then recommended him that he should ask the Marines and SEALs who were infamous within their respective units, meaning that he had to interview the troublemakers. The captain was very ambivalent about adding disgruntled servicemembers into his unit. He wasn't too sure if the top brass would even approve of such an idea. MARSOC was already under scrutiny after Fox Company was accused of murdering Afghan civilians in 2007. It was a tough decision and there weren't many options left on the table._

_A decision had to be made. Roman made up his mind and decided to recruit the hell-raisers into Joker Team. He was risking his rank, reputation, and career within the Marine Corps. The top brass was vehemently against the idea, stating that MARSOC was already under a lot of pressure and adding "criminals" and "idiots" was just going to destroy them. The captain wasn't going to give up just yet. He did everything within his power to convince his superiors that his idea was going to work and that with the operators he had in mind, they could get the job done. They eventually gave in after several debates._

_Joker Team was formed several weeks later. Six Marine Raiders and two Navy SEALs._

_Each member of Joker Team brought something unique to the table. One operator specialized in one area while another specialized in another. Petty Officer 2nd Class Khan and Kim were the EOD Technician and Hospital Corpsman respectively. They were great on the field and received various medals and certificates citing their achievements, but they were known within the SEAL teams to pull the most obnoxious pranks and would even sometimes bring prostitutes onto Coronado. Khan would even make fake IEDs and plant them above the doors of the admirals. He could've been dishonorably discharged several times over but who would replace his skills?_

_Khan being a Muslim Navy SEAL didn't help at all as he was constantly degraded by his fellow SEALs and officers, even way before his antics started to rise. He was constantly called a "terrorist" and was even accused of being a "Taliban goat fucker under disguise". Even when Khan defused many IEDs that could've taken multiple lives, he still got shit from the people who thought he trusted. Within Joker Team, he felt at home. He and Petty Officer 2nd Class Kim got along well as they shared hobbies and they were respectful of each other's religion. Even Waller showed Khan a tremendous amount of respect despite his religion being known to have radicals that kill people that were homosexual. He and Steiner are also friendly with one another and do not take the harsh and cruel jokes as seriously as others would outside of Joker Team._

_Sergeant Rudolph Steiner, the CBRN specialist of Joker Team. His originated from the Ramstein Air Force Base. His father was an Air Force fighter pilot while his mother was a professor at a university close to the American military base. What makes him ironic was that his great-grandfathers were high-ranking Nazi officers in the Second World War. So when his fellow Marines from his previous unit found out his heritage, they started to crack jokes about him being a "Nazi" and that he's going to run for office and start the "Fourth Reich". Steiner obviously didn't take their comments kindly and has, on two separate occasions, filled their sleeping quarters with CS gas used at boot camp. Both times he was reported to the Military Police but they didn't have enough evidence to arrest Steiner and throw him into the brig. Everyone in Joker Team, except for Roman, absolutely made sure that they avoid calling him a Nazi or else they will get gassed as well. Though, Khan at times would joke about making chemical weapons to be used in the field._

_The guy that had the hardest job in Joker Team outside of the Team Commander belonged to Sergeant Anthony N. Aubert. Becoming a combat engineer was no easy task, especially being a combat engineer in MARSOC. What made his job even harder was that he was the only operator that wasn't pulled from Force Recon, just straight out of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. He had no experience in the special operations field nor has he trained with any special operations and yet, he was hand-picked by the captain himself. To some, it was favoritism. He was proficient at his job and that's what mattered to Roman when it came to recruiting him into Joker Team. He's from Seattle, Washington. Despite all that, he was very well respected within Joker Team, although he's a constant target for "friendly bullying" by Lee. Aubert also a phenomenal cook and everyone teases that he should've been a 3381 (Food Service Specialist). What made him infamous was that he would sometimes take the MREs that belonged to other Marines and would use them to barter._

_The Scout Sniper, the comedian of the team, Sergeant Curtis Lee. Originally from Beijing, China, he and his family immigrated to New York City when he was just three years old. He barely knew English at the time and was constantly bullied by the Italian kids that lived around his neighborhood. He took up martial arts a couple of years and was able to fend off the individuals who continued to harass him verbally and physically. Eventually, Lee himself became the most feared kid on the block up until his Sophmore year of high school where he was arrested for starting a riot and for third-degree criminal mischief. Even with the evidence stacked against Lee, the charges were dismissed by the judge and Lee's record was "expunged" as well. Though, he became more discreet with his acts by targeting and beating up gang members in his community. He was never caught since. All the trouble he went through and the constant enrollment through multiple high schools ended up with Lee getting a GED instead of a high school diploma. His GED made it difficult for him when he tried enlisting with the Army, who ultimately rejected him. It was the same for the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. When he went to the Marine Corps recruiting office, he was turned down almost immediately before he could even speak to a recruiter. The SNCOIC argued that Lee should be given a chance and was given a waiver to enlist. He graduated from MCRD Paris Island and was close to becoming one of the honor graduates. It didn't matter now as his attitude changed almost entirely and became one of the most lethal Scout Snipers in the history of the Marine Corps. Lee takes great pride in being under the command of Captain De La Rosa, calling him an "inspiration" and willingly follows his orders without any judgment. He has stated on multiple occasions that Roman was the epitome of being a "Marine Officer". There was also a friendly rivalry between Lee and Kim. Both argue that their martial arts style, Wing Chun and Taekwondo, was superior to the other._

_Going back to Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve Kim. He, to this day, still receives complaints from his parents that live in Seattle. They were supportive of their son and his life choices but as Korean parents, they only wanted the best for him. He was the "angel" of Joker Team, so to speak. He makes sure that everyone stays in top physical shape and that they make healthy food choices. It could be argued that Kim was taking care of the team a little too much, but that's what was expected from him by every member. He, along with Roman, Miller, and Waller, is a seasoned warrior with a substantial amount of operations with his former unit in the Third World War. It also scarred him slightly and normally talks with the aforementioned Marines to help each other._

_Roman's right-hand man, the second-in-command of Joker Team, the only man who keeps the team rolling, Staff Sergeant Stephen Miller. Born in Tampa, Florida, a couple of minutes away from the MacDill Air Force Base, he grew up near military servicemembers just like Roman and Steiner. Though, his childhood was fucked up in so to speak. His mother, a former Air Force Captain that was dishonorably discharged for having a sexual relationship with a fifteen-year-old over the course of three years. Currently, she is serving a 21-year sentence at a federal prison while his father is a sergeant with the Tampa Bay Police Department. His grandparents from his mother's side became his legal guardians and raised him in a nice middle-class neighborhood within the Tampa Bay suburbs. Despite not having a great relationship with his mother, he inherited her intelligence and toughness. His grandparents gladly signed the waivers when he told them that he wanted to join the Marine Corps. He met Waller at the Military Entrance Processing Station as the latter was from Tampa Bay as well but enlisted at a different recruiting office. They became battle buddies at MCRD Paris Island and flew to BRC together, where they met Roman (mentioned above). Miller got along with everyone in Joker Team, that's all to it._

_Roman? Well, everyone knows him already._

"Let's get this party started! Can we get the birthday boy Joseph Waller on stage!" the DJ yelled.

_Waller waived his drink as Joker Team and everyone else cheered for the birthday boy. None of them, including Roman, knew what was going to happen but they were already entertained by Waller cracking cruel jokes as he walked on the stage in a flamboyant manner. The DJ pulled out a chair and told Waller to sit on it. He did, and then his husband walked on stage as people started to catch on what was about to happen. It didn't matter if it was a man or a woman giving lap dance on stage, it was still a form of entertainment to the patrons of Poseidon's Bar regardless of sexual orientation. Waller's brother-in-arms pulled out stacks of one dollar bills from their pockets as George Michael's "Careless Whisper" played._

_The crowd cheered as Waller's husband began to slowly dance on top of him. Cheers, whistles, and claps were heard. Dollar bills were being tossed onto the stage as the dance became a little more intimate. A couple of Marines tossed a couple of wrapped condoms as a joke, which Waller took in kind. The lights on the stage flashed the rainbow colors._

"Waller! Waller! Waller!" Joker Team chanted.

_Waller goaded his team to chant his name even louder, they did. His husband kissed his cheek as his arms moved up and down Waller's well-sculptured body. It was almost like softcore porn._

_The married couple collected the money tossed on stage and walked off as soon as the song was done. Joker Team continued to toss whatever dollar bills they had left on them. Waller and his husband had fun and nobody bothered them on stage at least._

_Roman walked towards the sushi bar to order more food to suit his appetite. He overheard two SEALs talking about Waller and his husband, neither realizing that the captain was seated close to them._

"What a bunch of fucking fags." The first SEAL said.

"Yeah. Can't believe the Marines let that Waller guy enlist." The second SEAL responded.

_The comments angered Roman a little but decided to not say anything back. He didn't like it when anyone outside of Joker Team would make derogatory comments about them. Who are they to say those kinds of things? They didn't serve with them and they absolutely have not put their lives on the line for them. The anger continued to build inside the captain._

_The SEAL guys looked at each other then stared at Roman for a moment. He continued to eat in silence and occasionally greeted fellow servicemembers that walked by him. Both of them were skilled fighters in their own rights and wanted to challenge someone that was "worthy". They knew that the Marine in front of them was disciplined in a couple of martial arts styles but they also knew that he wouldn't want to fight either of them for no reason. Roman was very formidable and would pose a big challenge to anyone who wanted to harm him. His unnatural 83.5-inch reach and his methodical grappling style, they are._

_Despite all that, the SEALs wanted to fight Roman but were trying to come up with ways to goad him into fighting them. They figured that if they kept on talking about Joker Team, he would be more than inclined to hurt them._

"Do you think anyone in Joker Team could fight us?" The first SEAL asked.

"Probably but I don't think any of those fucks could take us on. Khan and Kim would be easy no doubt. They used to be SEALs until they jumped ship and joined Joker Team. They think they're tough as shit because they have the support of the Commander-In-Chief. I'd bet my entire life savings that they can't hang with us. Wannabe Tier-One operators." The second SEAL answered.

_Roman looked at the squids in front of him and again, he did nothing. Part of their words was true. They did have the backing of the President, evident by their open-invitation to the White House. He didn't know why the SEALs would talk shit about his team though. They were basically from the same community of special operators and would often conduct joint-training exercises, it doesn't make sense to him. Then again, it was hard to get SOF units from the other branches to train with them due to the history of Joker Team._

_The captain got up from his spot and walked towards the restroom to piss. He was nearly tripped over on the way and almost knocked one of the waitresses down. Roman looked to see what caused him to stumble and saw the SEALs trying to hold in their laughter. The anger rose within him and barely managed to contain it as he walked towards the restroom._

_After spending a couple of minutes, Roman stepped out and looked towards the Octagon. A large crowd formed around it as an Army recruiter and a Coast Guard recruiter duked it out against each other for a couple of grand. To his surprise, the Coast Guard recruiter was winning the fight and managed to execute a lateral drop on the Army recruiter. Roman loved what he was watching. He's a big fan of MMA, particularly a fan of the UFC. The punches, kicks, submissions, and everything else excited him. He has thought about competing in amateur MMA as his BJJ and wrestling (sort of) would help him out a lot but would absolutely get bodies if he went to the UFC. They, after all, are dedicated to their craft._

_The weight cut would be horrendous._

_After two straight minutes of pure beating, the Army recruiter survived but lost the fight via unanimous decision. He shook hands with the Coast Guard recruiter as they exited the ring and shared drinks with one another._

_The referee then called for two new participants who would like to test their skills. There were several hands raised but the first SEAL was picked from the crowd. He was given MMA gloves and had his hands wrapped has he stepped inside the ring. Roman thought the SEAL looked absolutely ridiculous in the MMA shorts and also thought he was acting cocky like Conor McGregor._

_Roman contemplated his next decision and decided that he was going to step in as well. He was going to teach the squid a lesson and pummel him mercilessly. After convincing the referee to let him participate, he was given a pair of shorts and gloves._

_He stepped into the ring as he eyed the SEAL. He definitely had the height and reach advantage and was sure that he was going to deliver a proper ass beating._

"Michael." The SEAL greeted.

"Hmmm." Roman responded.

_The bell rang as the two competitors circled each other. Roman's stance was akin to Jon Jones, the southpaw. He threw a roundhouse kick that barely missed Michael's face but landed a spinning heel kick onto the ribs. The SEAL stumbled back for a moment but quickly regained his balance and threw a couple of jabs and crosses, few of them connecting. They exchanged punches and kicks, each connecting with devastating power. It looked like a fight between two high-leveled MMA fighters. Cheers came from all sides of the ring. All of the attendees cheered on._

_Roman knew that Michael was very skilled with his striking. He was sure that he could overpower his adversary with just punches and kicks but that would leave the risk of him getting tagged. He opted to utilize his elite grappling skills. He cupped the back of his head with his left hand and used his forearm to protect his face. He charged directly at Michael, who was landing punches to his ribs. It barely bothered him as the Marine quickly switched to orthodox and connected with a shattering uppercut. The SEAL stumbled back again, which allowed Roman to shoot for a morote gari. Joker Team roared as they watched their captain take down the squid._

_Michael tried to scramble back to his feet but Roman used his size advantage to keep him pinned to the floor despite being stuck in the guard. Michael tried the scissor sweep but Roman took the opportunity to escape the guard and take the mount. He delivered two gruesome elbows that opened up wounds on the man beneath him. Roman switched to the North-South position, throwing punches to his opponent's ribs. Though, Michael was flexible enough to knee Roman's head, which allowed him to get back to his feet._

_The blood flowing down his face made it hard for him to focus but he managed to put Roman under pressure by stunning him with a front kick. It didn't last long though as Roman connected with another spinning heel kick right before the round ended. It looked pretty even with both fighters managing to land powerful shots to the face and body but the judges gave the round to Roman due to the cuts on Michael's face. The latter's face was pretty banged up but didn't warrant for the fight to be stopped. The former also had his share of bruises on him as well, but nothing serious compared to his opponent._

_After being checked out for any issues that would occur mid-fight, Roman and Michael were allowed to continue with round 2._

_It was a tough fight for Roman and it was in his best interest to end the fight as soon as possible. He could more than likely win the fight via unanimous or majority decision but he didn't want that shit. He decided that he was going to treat the fight as a life or death situation. He has fought tougher opponents before and won, hence why he's very cautious and tactical with his moves. The bell rang, signaling the start of the second round._

_Michael was the aggressor and tried to apply pressure on Roman by throwing a barrage of jabs, crosses, and hooks. A few connected but Roman countered with an Earth-shattering left uppercut. He then followed up with a smooth Imanari Roll but didn't go for a submission. Instead, he forcefully lifted Michael from the ground and suplexed him back onto the mat._

"GET HIM!" Khan yelled.

_Michael tried to push himself off the mat but Roman sunk his hooks to control the movement. The SEAL was now a complete mess. His forehead was leaking blood and both of his eyes were about to be swollen shut. On a desperate attempt, Michael tried to "bite" Roman's arm but it gave the latter the opportunity to lock in the rear-naked choke. It was nasty, it was devastating, and it was tight. Most of the crowd cheered as the captain kept the submission locked in as his adversary tried to escape. Pride got the better of the SEAL, refusing to tap and then passing out, making Roman the winner._

_Michael's buddies rushed into the cage to help as Joker Team congratulated their commander. It was a hard-fought win for the officer. The striking from Michael was phenomenal but Roman's techniques were unquestionably superior and his grappling ultimately gave him the win. His face also had bruises but wasn't significant enough to have them checked up._

_Closing time slowly approached Poseidon's Bar as the patrons began to leave slowly in groups. Thor ran around in circles as Joker Team prepared to leave. Waller was given four days of "liberty" so he could continue to celebrate his birthday with his husband and their relatives. The Marines were going to separate until Michael's SEAL team approached them. Their trident tattoos on their bodies made them too obvious._

"Hey, what can we do for y'all?" Khan asked one of the SEALs before being caught with a body shot.

_The rest of the SEALs charged as a brawl broke out in the parking lot. Roman ordered Thor to jump into the bed of the pickup truck as he struck the squid that was sitting next to Michael earlier in the bar._

"You fucking piece of shit!" The SEAL yelled beneath Roman as he struggled to get up.

"Who the fuck are you? What did I do to you? What's your name anyway?" Roman questioned.

_The SEAL tried to strike Roman but he connected with a roundhouse kick to his abdomen. His adversary rolled back as he applied the pressure._

_The brawl within the parking lot looked like something you'd see on a television show or a movie. Marines and Sailors going at it with no mercy._

* * *

"There's that. I essentially got in trouble because I decided to take the blame for starting the entire brawl. I had all of my saved leave days taken away from me plus I spent a day in the brig."

_Harry adjusted his recorder._

"I do believe that you're a genuine person Roman and I hope I won't bring you any trouble. Though, I must mention that we have Russian operators in our ranks but I do trust that there won't be any altercations between you and them."

_Roman slightly shifted in his seat, displaying signs of discomfort that both Harry and Jack noticed._

"I don't see any reason to not work with them. I do not know them yet on a personal level so it's difficult for me to judge."

"Good. Then I would like to stop this interview here and if you're okay with it, resume it at a later time whenever you want. There are more important things that I'm sure that you need to do and I have a busy schedule today so if you excuse me, I'll be on my way."

_Harry exited the room, leaving the FBI guy and the Marine alone._

"So, are you familiar with anyone here?" Jack asked as he, Thor, and Roman left the room soon after.

"Yeah. I met Craig and Meghan during my Force Recon days as our units would frequently conduct exercises with one another. Meg's like a big sister to me, also a mentor of some sort. I'm also familiar with Zofia and Ela, though I met them separately. Not sure if it's just me but the sisters seem too far apart from one another. Maybe something went wrong?" Roman responded.

"Somewhere along those lines. Neither Bosak sister would comment on the reason why there's a huge separation between the two. Some of our in-house training sessions in the past were canceled just because Zofia and Ela would not stop quarreling with one another. It's not my business to step into their personal lives but I am very tempted to recommend Old Man Mike to make them buddies for the time being."

"Has Zofia used her kid to get closer with Ela?"

Jack turned to Roman "You've heard?"

"No, I'm just guessing but judging by your response, what I said was true then."

_Jack and Roman conversed with Thor trailing right behind them. They passed by and greeted several staff members and operators of Rainbow. He had a mug of hot chocolate in hand. Does it matter though?_

_So far, Roman has been enjoying his time with Rainbow. Everyone has been very welcoming so far and he hasn't heard one negative thing yet. Everything that Six and Harry said to him back in Camp Pendleton was true. The organization he joined definitely had state of the art technology. He was fascinated by how much equipment and devices they had and was slightly jealous that the Marine Corps or USSOCOM didn't provide the MARSOC with the same stuff. The expectations that came from Roman were very high and Rainbow managed to be beyond that. His office was nice too._

_Turning right, he bumped into someone, causing the steaming liquid to stain his uniform. The mug was now half-empty as Roman looked down at the chocolate flowing down his blouse. Jack stayed quiet._

"What the hell?" Roman and the other person said at the same time.

_Roman eyes widened as he tilted his head up slowly to look at the person in front of him. He became horrified, his heart pounded as he remembered the voice, the raspy yet sultry voice. The piercing emerald green eyes filled his mind. The raven black hair he wanted to sooth his hands into, he remembered it all, she was tall. Those features belonged to a stone-cold ruthless killer._

_It was her._

"Taina." Roman muttered.

"Roman." She gritted through her teeth, anger on her face.

* * *

_ **(Author's note 02/5/2020): Finally, Roman and Taina finally meet after three (long?) episodes. Where will they go? Who knows. However, do not expect them to fall in love anytime soon despite the fact that our beloved Marine captain finds her beautiful.** _

_ **With college starting soon for me, I will be more than likely uploading once a month as I will be focusing on my education. It is okay, I will not abandon this story and I will not abandon you.** _


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